


Tour of the Heart

by vmicedance



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: F/M, TYCT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-06-17 20:44:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 39,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15469692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vmicedance/pseuds/vmicedance
Summary: A sequel the 'Seasons of Change', find out how Tessa and Scott deal with their relationship on the tour, tell their friends and their relationship and prepare a surprise for their family and fans in London.





	1. Longing

**Author's Note:**

> I really have no idea how the actual tour will work in terms of transport and living, I have just made it all up for the sake of this fic! I also don't know a massive amount about the other 'characters', so I am relying on Google for information.  
> If you can't imagine the tour bus - do an image search; that's what I have based this on!

Scott's eyes shot open as he heard the bang of the bus door in the distance. 

"Tess" he whispered to the slumbering form next to him "I've got to go" 

He slid from underneath the sheets, dropped a kiss on her forehead and left her room, leaving her to savour the warmth of their love for a few moments more. Only they would know why she was lying back against her pillow with the look of sweet satisfaction on face, and that beneath the covers the sheets were ruffled and twisted around her. 

"Still in bed, sleepy head?" Kaitlyn's voice brought her to the surface of the day as she sat down on the bed opposite "You missed a great breakfast" 

Tessa smiled – Kaitlyn had no idea how much she had enjoyed her breakfast. A knock at the door interrupted them 

"Sorry," Andrew said as he opened the door slowly "are you decent?" 

"Why? Are you leaving if we are?" Kaitlyn joked with him. 

Andrew blushed slightly "I don’t know why you two insisted on 'old time' sharing" he sighed "I think perhaps you're just trying to punish me" 

"Why, what have you done that I don’t know about?" Kaitlyn shot back quickly. 

"Sharp" Andrew smiled in reply. 

Andrew entered the room fully. Tess discreetly pulled the sheets closer to her chin. 

"I came to see whether my razor made it into your bag" he said as he started looking through Kaitlyn's bag. 

"Probably" Kaitlyn replied "given the speed with which you threw your stuff into your case I am surprised you remembered anything you needed." 

"Well, it is only day one" he smiled back as he dug to the bottom of her bag and emerged with the razor he had come looking for. He smiled at Kaitlyn, kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door. 

"Are we mean making him share with Eric and not you?" Tessa smiled as he left. 

"No" Kaitlyn replied quickly "treat 'em mean an all that, Tess" 

"He's going to be very keen if you treat him mean for the whole trip, Kait!" Tessa chuckled. 

"We said we'd share on the hotel nights" Kaitlyn replied. "We agreed we were doing the bus 'old school'" her voice was questioning of Tessa's response. 

"And I love it" Tessa smiled back "just like old times." 

"Exactly" Kaitlyn smiled in response "now, if you are planning to get up at any point, Sleeping Beauty, there has been a promise of a game of charades on the road" 

"How could I resist" Tessa said sarcastically as Kaitlyn left, leaving her alone in the room. She couldn’t help but admire Kaitlyn and Andrew's relationship; they had managed to keep their love and their career in balance for years, and their communication with each other was effortless, or at least they made it seem like it was. She yawned and stretched before getting out of bed and heading for the shower. 

*** 

"Passport" Kaetlyn shouted with frustration as Chiddy danced around in front of the curved seating in the lounge area. 

"Guess who" Elvis shouted. 

"Guess who?" Scott laughed "that's a game, eh?" 

"And it's a film we need to guess" Eric laughed. 

"Urgh" Kaetlyn giggled, "what are you doing?" 

Chiddy was now on the floor, legs spread wide and panting. 

"Accident" Eric tried again. 

"Tired" Meagan added. 

"Birth" Scott yelled, suddenly getting the clue. Chiddy, forced into silence for the game, started flinging his hands in the air, telling Scott that he was close to the right answer 

Tessa smiled as she entered the lounge, her wet hair tied in a bun and her comfy sweats settling just below her hips. She loved having the 'family' together. Scott noticed her as soon as she entered, and a wide smile spread across his face. They had been together for just under a month and he still felt like a lovesick teenager every time he saw her. He scooted over on the sofa to make space for her. She settled in beside him, getting as close as she thought was permissible. 

"Hey" he whispered into her ear, secure in the knowledge that their friends' attention was wrapped in the game "all clean?" 

She smiled at him, a cheeky and secret smile that told him that she knew that he was referring to the mess he had left on her a few hours before. 

"Tess" Kaetlyn's voice cut through their moment and Tessa swallowed hard before giving Kaetlyn her attention "look at this" she pointed at Chiddy "he's saying it's not pregnant or birth or baby" 

Patrick was still on the floor, legs akimbo, panting like a deranged dog. He was now accompanied by a cushion that he kept pulling from between his legs. 

"Erm..." Tessa giggled "delivery?" 

Chiddy shook his head. 

"Erm.." She looked again at what he was doing "you're giving birth to the pillow, you're hugging it, erm...labour? No? Born?" 

At the word Chiddy sprang up from his place on the floor and did some silent cheering. 

"Ok, born" Elvis said as he watched Patrick go back to his previous action "born passport?" 

"Bourne Identity!" Eric yelled. 

"Yeees! Finally!" Patrick jumped into the air "you guys are awful" he laughed. 

"Ok, Scott, come on, your go" Elvis announced. 

"Ok," Scott said as he jumped up and took centre stage 

"You're not allowed to guess, Tessa" Kaitlyn announced. 

"Yeah, there's no point Scott having a go if you guess, Tess, it'll be over before it's started!" 

There was no argument from either of them. Their friends rarely let them team up on any of the games they played, knowing that they were unbeatable once they were together. Scott looked at her and smiled. It was funny how everything that they had known for their whole lives now felt somehow different. The same friends, the same rules, but now that there was so little space left between their existences, they were on new ground and everything was new, even the old and the always. 

Tessa watched him as he acted out his charade. He was more confident than she'd ever seen him. He was happy to make a fool of himself in order to make their friends laugh. In the past month, since they had been together, she had seen him grow and evolve in a way that she loved. The past month really had flown by, but she felt like they had developed so much as a couple already. There were so many moments they had already created together and she couldn't believe that there were still so many years stretching ahead of them to create more. Her mind drifted back to the morning after their goodnight kiss in Toronto. 

"Morning" he was waiting for her outside her hotel room when she emerged. 

"How long have you been here?" She smiled at him "you could have come in" 

"I was giving you your space, Tess" he smiled back at her "I'm not going to suffocate you" 

"I'm glad to hear it" she smiled back, making his comment into a joke "although no one would have ever seen that one coming" 

"Olympic Queen found suffocated in Toronto hotel room" Scott announces as if he is reading the news. 

"Queen" Tessa scoffed at him as her cheeks pinked. 

"Care to accompany me to breakfast, your majesty" Scott grinned as he held out his arm for her to link hers into. 

"Why, thank you" she played back with a smile. They walked to the elevator together and got in, pressing the button for the ground floor, and the breakfast room. 

The door closed, creating a bubble of privacy around them. It was Tessa who stepped towards him, feeling confidence and desire pushing her towards the vulnerability that she knew she feared. She put her arms around his neck and brought her lips within inches of his. 

_"Thanks for last night" she whispered "I couldn't sleep"_

_"Always like to be of service" Scott smiled._

_She laughed back, bowing her head and taking a deep breath before returning her eyes to his._

_"In all seriousness, Scott" her voice straight and low "thank you. For knowing that a kiss was what we both needed, and for putting yourself out there"_

_"Tess, I want to get this right" he said honestly "for us. For all of the years we've spent working for this moment, this relationship"_

_"Me too" and with that she closed the space between their lips and pulled his lips towards hers with a tender kiss._

_"I like this kissing thing" he smiled as they parted, his arms snaking around her waist._

_"Am I a good kisser?" She joked – even their inside jokes were taking on a new existence now._

_"The best" he replied._

_The elevator slowed and they pulled apart._

 

"What are you smiling at?" Scott asked as he took his seat beside her again. 

"Tell you later" she smiled at him. 

He raised his eyebrows in response. 

*** 

"So, last night I think I was a bit early with the intro" Scott said to the group as they stood on the ice "and then that threw everyone off. If I wait for another few seconds tonight that should solve the problem." 

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

"Then, with the Johnny Reid segment, we need to move the whole third movement left a little after Meagan and Eric enter, otherwise it's a bit tight towards the end" Elvis added, turning over his notepad. 

"Anything else from last night?" Tessa asked the group. 

Everyone shook their heads. 

"Great. It was a good opening" Scott said "let's keep the energy up tonight" 

Everyone murmured agreement. 

"Shall we run through the groups again before we eat and get changed?" Tessa asked. 

"Yeah" Kaitlyn replied "and I want to just go over the fourth transition before Scott's Gangsta's Paradise solo" 

"Sure" Scott nodded. 

They spent two hours rehearsing, running music backwards and forwards, changing cues slightly and giving each other feedback. 

"Ok, let's eat and get changed" Scott announced as the rehearsal came to a natural conclusion. They all headed towards the back of the arena and the room they had reserved for the catering they had ordered. 

*** 

Scott knocked lightly on the dressing room door before entering. As he had hoped, Tessa was alone. 

"I saw Kait and Meg leave and thought you might be alone" he smiled as he walked towards her. 

"Should I find that creepy?" She returned the smile. 

"No, find it cute, and sexy" he laughed as he lowered his voice and pulled her up out of the chair she was sitting on. 

"I needed a kiss" he said as he pulled her towards him. 

"Too bad" she smiled, looking a little disappointed "I've already put my lipstick on, and I don't think even you could explain away red stained lips" 

"Who said I was thinking of your lips" he whispered as he lowered his lips to the crook of her neck and planted kisses along her shoulder. His lips trailed to the base of her neck and then the ridge of towel she was wrapped in. He rolled the fluffy white material down just enough to allow him access to the plunge of her chest. He planted a few kisses on the gentle rise of her breasts. Her hands came to his head and she ran her hands over his hair. There still wasn't quite enough for her to tangle her fingers in, but she was still able to clutch a few strands and pull on them. 

"Scott" she whispered, telling him, only half-heartedly to stop. 

His face emerged and his eyes met hers. 

"I was thinking about Monday afternoon when we get to Grand Prairie – let's try to get some time alone" he said "I miss you" 

"I'm right here" she smiled at him. 

"I know" he smiled "but, I mean I miss being able to just be 'us', like we were back at yours before we came away" he explained. 

"Scott, being on the road and being secreted in my house is never going to be the same, even when we are 'public'." 

"I should hope not" he smiled "we might get arrested if we do what we did in your house in public" 

"You know what I mean" she said seriously, although unbale to hide the smirk that crossed her lips when she thought about the few days that had managed to spend together at her house in London. 

"I know" he replied, taking on her serious tone "but, I'm not ready yet, are you?" He wanted to check in with her, to check whether she had changed her mind about keeping their relationship a secret for a while. 

"No, I still feel the same" she responded "I want just us for a bit longer. But, yeah, some time alone on Monday sounds nice" she smiled. 

"Great" he smiled back at her "it's a date" 

"T, have you seen my skates" Kaitlyn's voice quickly pulled them apart and Scott did his best to look casual as he leant against the mirror. Tessa checked her towel, straightening it. 

"I saw you take them off when we ate" Tessa responded as Kaitlyn entered the room. 

"Scott, Andrew didn't take them into your dressing room, did he?" Kaitlyn asked. They should have known that Scott's presence in the girls' dressing room was mundane after so many years and wouldn't even register with Kaitlyn. Since they knew they were keeping a secret they felt like they had huge signs hanging above their heads advertising what they had been up to. 

"I'll go check for you" Scott said as he left the room – Tessa smiled at how genuinely kind and helpful he always was. 

*** 

Despite the show ending in the early hours of the morning, the whole gang was still on a high from the show as they walked back to the bus. Eric was doing an impression of Andrew's snoring from the previous night – well, day for the rest of the world, but the night for them – and Kaitlyn was giggling so hard she had to hold her stomach. 

"You don’t want to hear the other noises he makes in bed" she spluttered between gasps of giggling. 

"I bet he's a beast" Chiddy joined in, slapping Andrew on the back. 

"I know we said 'like old times'" Andrew mock-huffed "but I didn’t think that actually meant behaving like we're all 16" 

"Aww, did he hurt your feelings" Kaitlyn soothed as she put her hand around Andrew's waist and let her hand fall to his ass. 

"Get a room" Elvis hollered as they got to the bus door. 

"If only" Andrew moaned, his misery only half fake now. 

"No sex on the bus" Meagan stated as they made their way up the steps "this is not an Olympic village" 

"That's just a rule out of jealousy" Eric chipped in "let them have the sex the rest of us are missing. They're the only ones likely to be getting any in the next month" 

A quiet groan moved among them at the reminder of the time they were spending away from their partners, and the rest of the healthy and virile population! 

"Don't forget Tess and Scott" Kaetlyn pointed out "they're at it all the time" 

"I've read" Elvis, Eric and Andrew shouted in unison. 

Scott smiled and huffed at them "so old guys, so old" 

"And yet still hilarious" Kaitlyn countered. 

"I mean, he still loves doing it with his partner after all these years" Eric added. 

"With her bare hands" Elvis added. 

Patrick clapped Scott on the shoulder as they all collapsed onto the curved sofas of the lounge "man, there's never a dry moment with you" 

He smiled. He liked the way his friends teased him, he liked that they knew him well enough to know that he found his interview gaffs funny now. He felt a warmth flow through him as he saw all of the people he cared so much about in the same place. He turned to Tess, who of course, was at his side. He looked at her and saw the same smile on her face and knew she was thinking the same thing too as they watched their friends rolling around with laughter. He reached over and squeezed her hand lightly. 

There was a clatter from the small bar that sat at the back of the lounge area - they had all contributed to stocking it before they left. Kaetlyn and Eric emerged with a bottle of tequila, a lime and a handful of shot glasses. 

"This is what happens when you let babies on the bus!" Chiddy shot a look at Scott 

"Thank, Chid Eric smiled as he shimmied towards the table. 

"I was talking about her, Grandad" Patrick said pointing to Kaetlyn and laughing 

"Hey!" Elvis shouted at the mention of Eric's age "if he's a grandad what am I?" 

"A fine wine?" Chiddy countered with smile 

"Smooth, Chan" Scott laughed. 

"You guys said you wanted to act like a bunch of horny teenagers..." Kaetlyn began. 

"I think that may a bit out of context, Kaet" Scott laughed 

"...young, old times...whatever" she laughed as she put the glasses down on the table, opened the tequila and poured some into each glass. "so, I take it 'Never Have I Ever' was around back in the day" 

A collective groan carried around the bus as the groups of friends remembered the game all too well from late night hotel room gatherings. 

Kaetlyn ran off to the kitchen to fetch some salt. She handed everyone a glass, a lime wedge and poured a pile of salt in front of each person. Everyone shuffled into a haphazard circle around the table. 

"Ok, I'll start" Kaetlyn said with enthusiasm. "Never have I ever flirted my way out of a speeding ticket" 

This time the groan was made as all of the women in the room giggled and emptied their drinks before smashing their glasses onto the table. Scott felt Tessa shudder next to him as she drank the stinging liquid. He wondered whether sitting next to her as they got drunk really was a good idea as even sober he struggled to keep his hands off her, how he was going to cope with tequila running through his veins he did not know. 

"Ok, Elvis, you go" Kaetlyn ordered after refilling the girls' glasses. 

"Okaaay let me think" Elvis said "Ok, I know, never have I ever had a crush on a friend's parent" 

There was silence in the room for a second before Eric downed his drink and shivered at the strength of the alcohol. The group laughed and looked at him. 

"I was 19 and confused" he announced as way of explanation. The group laughed again, true happiness rippling around the room. Eric refilled his own glass. 

"Chiddy, you're up next" Kaetlyn informed him. 

"Never have I ever had a crush on a friend" he said, following on from the last question. Scott and Tessa quickly side eyed each other before draining their glasses. 

"Shocker" Elvis mumbled sarcastically. 

Scott went to speak, to say that they were both thinking of people other than each other. 

"Don't bother" Meagan smiled at him "we know, we know, you've no idea why you're still single. Next" the whole group laughed and Kaetlyn refilled Tessa and Scott's glasses as Tessa tried to hide her blushing cheeks. They knew their friends were only joking with them and they didn’t mind one bit. 

Eric was next to play "never have I ever stolen something from a hotel" 

At this the whole group lifted their glasses in unison and drank. They laughed together as they smashed their glasses down on to the table. 

"What's a few dressing gown and slipper sets here and there" Andrew smiled. 

"And the shampoo is free anyway" Meagan added. 

"Exactly" Eric assured her. 

As all members of the group leaned in to add more alcohol to their glasses Scott did a quick scan of the room before leaning into Tessa's ear and whispering "and who's going to miss a cushion cover." 

She blushed at his words and the feel of his breath on her ear. They parted quickly and joined the melee at the table for the tequila bottle. The group sat back and waited for Meagan's statement. 

"Never have I ever looked through someone else's phone without permission" 

A chorus of shock went around the room as Elvis and Andrew drank. 

The rest of the group looked at them, waiting for details. 

"A moment of weakness" Elvis said, his voice telling them he was not discussing it any further. They respected him, 

"Mine too" Andrew smiled. Kaitlyn smiled back at him, a private moment between them in a crowded room "I always was your weakness" 

The group groaned, bringing them back into the room. 

"When Andrew was trying to woo me" Kaitlyn began to tell the story, her voice wobbling slightly with the alcohol that she had consumed "he went into my phone and put a dinner date with him into my calendar" 

"Oh, you old dog, you" Chiddy squealed 

"That's so cute" Katelyn commented. 

"He is cute" Kaitlyn said as she cupped Andrew's chin with a single hand and planted a kiss on his lips. 

"Right, Scott, your go" Kaetlyn announced, bringing their awareness back to the game. 

"Me, right, ok" Scott said as he ran his hands through his hair "Erm...let me see, never have I ever pressed send and then immediately regretted it" 

"Good one" Tessa said beside him. 

Kaetlyn, Eric and Meagan drank their drinks and their glasses were refilled. 

"T" Kaetlyn continued the game "your go" 

"Ok, erm...I don't know...I...ok, I've got one; never have I ever broken something at a friend's house and not told them" 

Scott smiled – he knew she would pick something safe for her turn, and yet, something so 'Tessa'. 

Kaitlyn drank "don’t worry, the house didn't belong to anyone here" she assured them. 

Andrew's go was up next. 

"Never have I ever fallen in love at first sight" he knew it would make Kaitlyn drink, and so did the rest of group. 

"Get a bus!" Chiddy shouted, making everyone else fall about with laughter. As they laughed and threw pillows at Andrew for his soppiness, Tessa looked over at Scott, her eyes asking the question she knew he too wanted to know. He furrowed his brow and, looking into her eyes he took a small sip of his drink for only her to see, she followed and did the same, a smile spread on both of their faces, the heat of the liquid not even registering as they looked into each other's eyes. 

"Right, new game" Elvis announced "it's called 'Let's Chill Out and Watch a Movie" 

"Sounds perfect" Meagan responded. 

""I like the sound of that" Eric added. 

They all got comfortable on the big sofa, each taking some of their own space. Scott was really pleased with the bus they had ended up with. The room they were in was long and a red coloured seat made of sofa material ran around the whole of the room's edge, giving plenty of space for everyone to relax together. Next to the room's bar was a huge TV attached to the wall. Kaitlyn and Andrew curled up together, winding their limbs around each other. Scott watched with envy as his friends enjoyed each other's touch. He looked at Tessa's legs as she stretched out on the sofa next to him. He desperately wanted to be back in her TV room in London, sprawled on her corner sofa, her head on his chest and his arms around, stroking her back and planting kisses on her head whenever he wanted. Tess scooted back towards him and rested her back against his side. She knew that they could get away with some contact, in fact, their friends would find it strange if they didn't lie together, but she also knew that they had both had a fair amount to drink and contact that was too close was dangerous. She heard and felt Scott exhale as she settled against him. She felt his hand rub her back and then retreat. 

As the film played out the room began to empty, with Kaetlyn and Meagan heading to bed first followed by Eric. Elvis headed off as soon as the titles started to roll. Before long, the only people left were Kaitlyn and Andrew and Tessa and Scott. All four, having come down from the high of the show and the alcohol, were relaxed and sleepy. 

Tessa noticed Andrew whispering into Kaitlyn's ear, followed by her friend's cheeks flushing and her hand falling to his knee. Clearly it was time to give their friends some space – they were lost in each other. 

"Follow me in five minutes" Tessa whispered into a startled Scott's ear as she rose from the sofa and yawned "that's me done" she announced to the room "night" 

"Night" Scott said quickly 

"Night, Tess" Andrew and Kaitlyn said in turn as they pulled away from each other. 

Tessa headed to her room and quietly opened the door. She noticed that Kaitlyn's bags were still on her bed. She lifted her friend's bags to the floor and stacked them neatly so that when she came to bed she didn't need to worry about being able to get into bed. She brushed her teeth, striped down to her underwear and slipped under the bed sheets. 

A few moments later the door opened and Scott slipped through it with a smile. 

"Don't think they'll be going to bed any time soon" he whispered as he made his way across the room and sat on the bed next to Tessa. 

"Get in" she whispered as she pulled the sheets down to make space for him. 

"Forget your PJs, T?" he grinned as he saw her lying there in her underwear. 

"PJs are overrated" she grinned back 

"Some people might say that about underwear" he grinned as he lost no time in removing her bra and positioning himself above her. 

They both froze as they heard a bang coming from the corridor followed by Kaitlyn's voice. 

"Shit" Scott said as he scrambled off her and adjusted his sweat pants. 

"Noo" Tessa whispered as she flung her pillow over her face in disappointment. 

"Night" they heard Andrew's voice in the corridor. 

Without another word Scott bolted for the door and slipped out undetected. 

Tessa flung her bra to the floor and silently cursed the universe. 

"Night" this time Kaitlyn's voice and then the opening of the door. Tessa turned over and feigned sleep as her bunk mate navigated her way to her bed. 

She saw her phone light up beside her, a message from Scott appeared on the screen: 

_Monday afternoon, you, me, a hotel room – it's a date. Xxx_

 

She smiled before closing her eyes and falling into a peaceful sleep.


	2. Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet.

When they had been planning the route for the tour, Tessa and Scott had been determined that some of the travel days would be spend enjoying time with their skating family. One of the things that they both had fond memories of were the free days between performances when they were on tour in Canada and abroad. As much as the tour was for the fans and in order to allow them to say thank you, and build the profile of skating, it was also about celebrating the years they had spent beside their friends and the fun they had enjoyed. There was an awareness that they were all about to go their separate ways in their careers, and one last trip in homage to a lifetime spent sharing hotel rooms and the highs and lows of competition was exactly what they all needed. A trip through the Canadian Rockies was just too much to resist. Of course, travelling from Kelowna to Grande Prairie is quickest by plane, but the route across the highway and past the beauty of their country's landscape was something that they were excited about including. 

"It's just so vast" Kaetlyn exclaimed as they rolled beside the rivers and sprawling lakes. 

"Puts things into perspective" Eric mused. 

They had planned to spend Sunday afternoon in Jasper. There was talk of wandering the shops and cafes, with some of the group opting to make the stop a more energetic one by exploring some of the trails leading into the mountains. Monday was to be given over to the Skytram, golf and the Planetarium. 

When they arrived in Jasper at around 2pm on Sunday everyone was quick to leave the bus and enjoy the outside world. Andrew and Kaitlyn disappeared quickly, and their bus mates knew there was no chance of seeing them again until the following evening – they'd opted for a rustic lodge in one of the town's secluded forest parks over the bus, but of course, it was about the privacy, not the luxury. 

Kaetlyn and Meagan were excited about a hike, and the rest of the gang – Elvis, Eric and Chiddy – were headed straight for the town and any bars they could find. 

"Are you joining?" Chiddy asked Scott as they left the bus. 

"We were thinking of taking in the lake we passed earlier" Scott tried to sound casual "want to get some good nature shots to take home." 

"Ok" Chiddy replied as he skipped off to catch up with Eric and Elvis "call if you get too bored with the view" there was a tone in Chiddy's voice that Scott knew all too well. He thought about how he wanted Chiddy to be the first one to know about him and Tessa – he had been such a good friend and always supported them, and there was a part of Scott that hated keeping secrets from him. 

"Ready?" Tessa appeared from the bus carrying a jumper, two coats and a hat. 

"Tess, we're going to the lake, not the Arctic" Scott smiled as he saw her arms laden with warm clothes. 

"Better to be prepared" she smiled at him, trying her best to seem nonchalant – an attempt wasted on Scott as he knew her far too well. 

Once they were out of view of the road and covered by the tangle of trees that skirted the lake they laced their fingers through each other's. The sun was fading quickly as dusk approached. There was no other life around them, not the sound of people or the skittering of animals, it was just them, the lake and the dying sun. 

"Stopping off here was such a good idea of yours" Tessa smiled as they strolled down the pebbled beach. 

"It was" Scott smiled "I am full of good ideas" 

"You are" she smiled back at him. 

"So," his voice took on a tone of seriousness as they continued "we said we would check in with each other regularly about how we felt and how this was all going." 

"We did. And I think it's going well. I mean, I wish we had more time on our own, and there's a big part of me that wants to tell our friends, but I feel like we're getting there, slowly." 

"I agree. Of course, more time alone would be good, but we knew what we were letting ourselves in for with the tour, so I am grateful of any moments we do get. And, yeah, sneaking around is hot, but I also want to be allowed the small moments, like being able to kiss you when I want and hold your hand in front of our friends" his response is not a shock to Tess in any way, she could feel his struggle in holding back when they were watching a film with the group. 

"I also don't like lying to Kaitlyn" Tessa added. 

"And running through the hallway pulling up my boxers is not top of my list of activities either" Scott smiled. 

"Neither is being left" Tessa giggled. 

"I did have the most amazing dream that night, though" Scott informed her. 

"Really?" Her eyes widened. 

"I dreamt we were in my truck on the way back from Toronto the night after we decided to get together. We couldn't stop looking at each other as we drove so we pulled over, desperate to share a kiss" 

"Scott, that wasn't a dream. We were like smitten teenagers on that trip home – you stopped the car twice so we could make out!" 

"Yeah, except in my dream we only stopped once, and we didn't just make out" 

She was laughing at him as she saw a redness crawl up his neck. She loved this new side to him that she was now allowed to see; the breathless, sexual desire that had been off limits before. She'd felt it on the ice, when they were in character, when he ran his hands over her after the music had ended, but she always felt him check himself, pull back, hold his breath. Now he was so open with her, so confident with his desire. She wasn't quite there yet – her dreams about them together were certainly not ready to be shared, and neither was information about what she did after he left her that night. But she knew that with time his confidence would bring her out of her shell too. 

"Are you going to tell me the rest?" She teased, knowing that he was waiting for an invitation to share. 

"Hmm, not sure, Virtch, don't know if you could handle it" 

"Try me" she whispered into his ear, drinking in some of his bravery as they stood on the ever-darkening beach. 

"Challenge accepted" he smirked as he turned her towards him and enveloped her in his arms. His mouth came to her ear, and before he even spoke, she knew it was going to be low and raspy. 

"So," he started, his hands resting on her hips "we were in my car, kissing at first, hands exploring each other's hair, shoulders, just like we did. But, then my hand started to move gently towards your arm" 

His hand moved as he described, sending a shiver through her chest. 

"Your skin so soft and bare" 

"Why is my skin bare?" She whispered with a giggle 

"because it's MY dream, T" 

She laughed then, remembering the eagerness with which he had slipped beneath her sheets the night he had the dream. 

"And then the other hand followed" 

Now both of his hands were on her arms, his mouth still pressed against her ear. 

"And I couldn't stop touching you" his breath is catching as he speaks. 

"Here" 

One hand snakes up her back. 

"Here" 

Another to her left breast. 

She inhales sharply. 

"Here" 

His hand moves between her legs and he cups her firmly, his voice is now a tremble. Her breath hitches and her hands automatically find his ass. 

"What did you do to me?" The adrenaline and desire running through her veins makes her bold enough to ask. 

"I reclined your chair" he responds as he kisses the space behind her ear. "and you were lying there looking so good." 

His mouth leaves her ear for the first time as it makes a trail of kisses along the bottom of her jaw. He rounds her face with his kisses and makes it to her other ear. He grabs her hand as he speaks this time. 

"And then I started touching you" he pushes her hand into her trousers and leaves it there. "Slow at first..." He can feel her hand begin to move "tender. You felt so good" 

She weakens as her fingers move against her own body, she can feel a lightness rising through her chest and towards her face. As he presses against her she feels his hand dive into his own trousers and a slight gasp ripples his lips against her ear. 

"And I was so hard just looking at you" 

She knows he has himself fully in his own hand now, stroking slowly. 

"And I wanted you so badly" his voice is becoming more broken as their hands begin to move in unison. 

"I pushed inside you, so gently at first, loving the feeling of you" 

Her fingers slide in effortlessly. 

"You felt so good, you always feel so good" 

His hand is stretching the fabric of trousers and he rubs downwards and against his own leg. 

"You were so warm. It felt amazing. My cock just slid in and out of you, perfectly." 

She's breathing deeply through her nose now, the feeling in her legs starting to numb. 

"Your face looked amazing, your head thrown back." 

His lips trembles as he speaks, the lids of his eyes becoming heavy with desire. 

"We were both so hot, so sweaty and I just watched my cock disappearing in and out of you, loving how it looked, how it sounded as I dragged it in and out" 

Her fingers are pumping now, curling as she drags them out of herself. 

"Scott" she whines against his ear, begging him to stop and give her more at the same time. 

"But I couldn't take it, I just wanted you so badly, I gripped the sides of your seat and fucked you so hard, and..." His voice began to die away and his breath became ragged. 

They pressed against each other harder, holding on to each other for support. Their panting turned to groans as they both brought themselves to the edge. 

"I'm so close" she whispered in his ear, her body tensing. 

"I'm coming" he groaned into her ear as his body shook, bringing hers with him. They rocked together for a moment, letting out guttural moans into each other's chests. 

Then there was a moment of silence as they held each other up, their hands reappeared and they held onto one another in the darkness. 

They slumped to the sand together, the pebbles not even registering as they curled into one another and closed their eyes. 

Scott was the first one to speak, dragging his voice the depths. 

"We need to get back" 

"Mmm" her reply asked for a moment more. 

He laughed. "It's getting dark. And I'm kinda hungry" 

She giggled – always thinking about his stomach. 

He got up and pulled her to her feet, planting a kiss on her lips once she was in front of him. 

"Thanks" he smiled. 

"For what?" She questioned 

"For that" 

"My pleasure" she grinned back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for your comments. They really are instrumental!


	3. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Scott, do you really want to do this, now?

"How was the lake?" Eric asked as Scott and Tessa entered the bar that Chiddy had sent them the address for. 

"Great" Scott smiled. 

Tessa felt a warmth run through her as Scott answered. She loved how there was so much that passed only between them. She loved that only she was allowed to do with him what they had done on the beach. Her heart fluttered hard in her chest – if this didn't work, if they didn't stay together, how was she ever going to be able to be close to anyone else? 

"You ok?" Scott's voice swept her consciousness as they headed towards the bar to order their drinks. 

"Sure" she smiled as she pushed her thoughts down to the bottom of her stomach – 'Come on,' she silently chastised herself, 'you've been so brave so far, don't let the doubt and fear creep in now'. 

"Cocktail?" Came his next question. 

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" She smiled at him in response. 

"So that I can do what, take advantage of you?" He grinned "we know you don’t need a single sip to allow me to do that, Virtch" 

She loved how flirty he was with her now, like there were words he used only for her, in their world, but not like they did when they were on the ice; not focus and stability, but like he was constantly trying to entice her, seduce her, pull her further into him and away from the oxygen that everyone else was breathing. 

"Gin and tonic will be fine" she smiled at him as he moved closer to the bar. 

Drinks in hand, they returned to the table that Elvis, Eric and Chiddy had commandeered – Kaetlyn and Meagan had joined them too. 

Within minutes of joining the table there were a flock of fans around them, all hoping for a photo and an autograph. They obliged, spending over an hour greeting people, chatting with them and posing for selfies. 

"This is what happens when you go out with royalty" Patrick laughed as their quiet evening became a thing of the past. 

"I think it might be time to return to the bus" Scott smiled as the last fan left them. He looked at Tessa's drink – it was still as full as when they had left the bar. 

"Good idea" Elvis smiled "but I'm not walking with you two – I'm too drunk to be attacked by a mob" 

They all left in good spirits, posing with fans on the way back to the bus. 

*** 

Mere minutes passed before they were all lounging in the sofa area with glasses filled with wine. 

The talk flowed easily, the wine seemed endless, and the smiles filled the room. They talked back and forth for hours, memories and stories flowing through their mouths and minds. Before they knew it there were six empty wine bottles on the table in front of them. 

Talk moved to the sacrifices they had made in order to be the athletes they were. 

"Come on, Elvis, give us kids some advice" Eric's voice was wobbly with wine "what's the secret to a happy marriage?" 

Elvis smiled. There were times when he wished he was young like his skating family, but then he also loved that his days of navigating a relationship were over. 

"Secret?" Elvis smiled as he took another sip of his drink "I don't know that there's any secret to it all. You just have to be there for each other, be best friends, and know that even if the rest of the world ceased to exist that the person sleeping next to you is enough. To know that that person, the one you chose, the one you decide to give your heart to, is worth being vulnerable for, putting yourself on the line for, giving up every fear that exists inside of your veins for. To know that even if you're scared of getting hurt, the pain of that hurt can never be as bad as the pain of knowing you could have been loved, and loved, completely." 

The room was silent for a moment. Elvis' words floated among the group and each heart was momentarily flown to the person who held it, no matter how far away they were. Scott swallowed hard, his throat dry suddenly. Tessa moved slightly beside him, uncomfortable, putting distance between them despite the fact that they were already far enough apart. 

"Wow" Elvis broke the silence "how much wine have I had?" 

The rest of the group laughed, breaking the depth of the silence and the crushing need to be with the person they loved. They all heard Elvis' words and they all felt them, too. But, no matter how much they wanted to fall into them, they were all apart from the person they loved and so prevented the plummet. 

"More drinks" Kaetlyn announced as she moved towards the bar, her young soul unable to even begin to acknowledge what had been said. 

"I think I'm going to turn in" Tessa announced "want to make sure I'm at my best for golfing tomorrow" and with that she wished them all a swift goodnight and headed to her room. 

Scott watched her leave, his heart aching and anxious to run after her. He wondered whether to leave her to her thoughts, to give her space, or to follow her and soothe her mind – a mind he knew was racing after the wine and Elvis' words. He decided on another drink, joining the rest of his friends in several shots of Sambuca – his world began to spin, to spiral, plunge into the watery depths of uninhibited thought. 

He had to go to her. He was willing to risk it all – his heart, his life; everything, to tell her that he was hers, right now and forever and that he had never been more sure of anything in his whole life. 

"I think I'm going to turn in too, guys" he announced as his unsteady legs barely supported his weight and he headed out of the lounge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, more on the way...


	4. Hesitation

"Tess?" His voice was a shaky whisper as he entered her bedroom. 

"Kaitlyn?" Her voice came from the depths of sleep. 

"No, it's me" Scott informed her as he moved towards her bed. "Shit" he crashed into the leg of her bed clutching his shin in pain. Slightly unsteady on his feet he made his way towards her bed and slipped beneath the sheets beside her. Closing his eyes he felt a sense of stillness fall over him. He was drunk, he knew that, he could feel the alcohol numbing his veins, but he also felt awake and alert to the fact that Elvis' words had unsettled her, and although he thought he knew why, thought he understood, he was no longer a man who made assumptions – he had learnt that lesson the hard way, so he wanted to talk to her, to make her open up to him – and to herself – and explore what made her run. 

He wanted to wrap himself around her, to tell her that whatever she is feeling he will soothe it, he will make it better, he will take from her every sinew of pain and every mote of doubt and make it his so that she can be free of it. But he knew that she needed her distance on this. She needed time to operate in her own space, free of the expectation of someone else. He lay on his back looking up at the ceiling. He felt her move beside him, rolling from her side to her back. It was a start, already an advancement for her and it told him that she was there and that she was trying for him, for them. 

"Talk to me" he whispered gently into the night. 

"I..." The thoughts still weren't clear in her own mind, they hung there in front of her waiting to be handled and arranged into some clear form. "what Elvis said about being scared, about the fear of things going wrong, I...just...I...what if we've got it wrong, Scott? What if we're doing this, us, I mean...what if 'us' isn't right and we're risking everything. 20 years of everything?" 

He heard her, heard her fears about loss – they were trained to fear it, they had spent their lives wanting to be winners and he knew that the thought of losing something, losing what they had as friends was something that would speak deeply to her. 

"Tess, love isn't a competition, you can't win and lose. Love is a journey, and, yeah, there are going to be some bumps along the way, of course, but what Elvis was saying was about navigating all of the bumps and the ups and the downs with the person you trust the most in the whole world, that there's nothing you wouldn't weather with them, that there's no obstacle that you would stand before together and then turn your backs on. Love isn't something that happens and then stays, Tess, it's something that grows, just like everything living thing on the planet grows and changes and evolves every second of every day." 

"But, Scott, if that's true, if it's about finding the strength in the face of adversity and staying together, then why to people split up? Are you saying that all of the people we've known, our friends, my parents, didn't fight hard enough?" 

"No, Tess, I'm saying that they weren't fighting with the right person." 

She lay there for a moment taking in what he had said. She had come so far, brought them to this point by swallowing the fear that had threatened to hold them back. She had never been this far into a relationship with anyone, this was new ground. It wasn't that she shunned new things, new challenges, or that she shunned fear, but she was a competitor and she liked to be able to make a game plan, to organise things, to have a picture in her mind of the path she was on. But this, with Scott, there was no path to see, there was no 'end game' or win, they were blind, making the path as they went, navigating around obstacles, clearing things off the path, and it terrified her. 

"I'm scared" she whispered into the darkness, letting her own ears hear the truth out loud for the first time. 

"because you can't see ahead?" He knew her so well. 

"Yeah" 

"That's why we're here together, Tess. We can't see ahead, we can only live in the moments that are at our feet right now. We don't know what is ahead, but when we get to obstacles we will work to overcome them together. But, Tess, we're only talking about obstacles here, tough things. That path is filled with joy and excitement and happiness too. There are so many things there waiting for us, waiting for us to live them out." 

She smiled at this. The alcohol from earlier had made her somewhat maudlin and she had forgotten to look up and see all of the shining lights and beauty and the love that lay ahead for them. 

"Tess" he rolled over onto his side now, knowing that she was in a place where it was fair for him to connect with her, he pulled her towards him, bringing her body to his and closing the space between them "there is no one else I would ever want to be on this path with but you" 

Her response was wordless, her lips on his told him that she was there, she was present, she was beside him and that she was ready for everything that lay ahead of them. 

"Stay tonight?" She whispered as she folded herself into him. 

"I'll stay for a while" he responded sleepily "but I really don't want to lie to Patrick in the morning, so I will leave once you're asleep" 

She let out a long sigh "Scott, we need to tell our friends soon" 

"We do" he agreed "we really do"


	5. Vulnerability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter posted in a very jet-lagged state, so I hope it makes sense! Enjoy!

For once Tessa was the one who rose early – from her bedroom window she had heard Chiddy and Elvis leave for an early morning run (they had squabbled about the distance they were to cover, with Elvis challenging Chiddy to more than 10 miles) and saw her opportunity to pay Scott an early morning wake up call. She moved down the corridor quietly, delighting in the sounds of snoring and sleep that rumbled behind locked doors. She reached Scott’s door and knocked quietly. No response. She, of course, had come prepared for such an outcome and took her phone from the breast pocket of her PJs.

_Wake up and let me in!_

She knew that he slept with his phone on – he never wanted to be the one to miss being there for someone who needed him. That was one of the many things that she loved about him – he was always thinking of others, of the people he cared about. He always made sure that his friends were safe and that they were happy.

She heard movement behind the door accompanied by a yawn and bare feet padding across the floor. When he opened the door she couldn’t help but smile at his bed head. He managed a lop sided smile in response to her presence.

“Morning” she smiled as he moved aside to let her through the door.

He smiled at her. He wanted to throw a pithy comeback her way, maybe something about her not usually seeing this time in the morning, but he was too sleepy to find the words. She smiled at the absence of a witty remark – he was going to be all hers, do to with as she wished. He shuffled back to his bed and crawled back to his pillow. She followed him, not needing an invitation. As she slipped between the covers she was taken back to the first time he had stayed at her house as her – well, actually, they hadn’t decided on a word yet, her, boyfriend, partner, lover, friend (no, that definitely didn’t cover it anymore).

_***_

_Tessa looked nervously at the clock on the oven – ten minutes late, typical, the first time she cooks a romantic meal for Scott, the first time they have a ‘date night’ and he is late. She chuckles- of course he is late, he wouldn’t be her Scott if he weren’t. Oww, the possessive – her – that felt weird, but nice._

_He finally knocks on the door, she checks her watch; 15 minutes – you’re getting better, Moir._

_She smooths down her dress against her thighs, clears her throat and opens the front door. He stands there, a bouquet wrapped in brown paper,  bottle of red under his arm._

_“Hey” he manages as he holds the flowers towards her “I know we’re going away soon, but I know you like...” he points at the flowers._

_“They’re beautiful” she smiles “thanks”_

_He stands on the doorway, motionless. She looks at the flowers, she looks at him._

_“Am I allowed in?” he grins._

_“Yes….yes…sorry, of course” It’s weird, inviting him into her home in a formal way – they’ve had a hundred dance parties in her kitchen, enjoyed a thousand bottles of wine on her sofa, why would he need an invite now? But she knew why. He needed and invite because this was different, they were different, everything was different now. She felt both excitement and fear shoot through her at the same time._

_She’s laid the table for two – the placemats are barely used and napkins still have the creases in them._

_“This looks fancy” he smiles. She can feel his unease meeting hers. In a way she wishes that they didn’t have to do this, the formal part of ‘being together’. It would be so much easier to just carry on as they always had except…well,… except having sex and committing to each other and…oh, God, having sex, she knows it might happen tonight._

_“It’s just pasta” she replies, clearing her throat, again “sit down, it’s ready.”_

_He sits down at the table and watches her retreating form head into the kitchen. He smiles at the effort that she has made. He knows that she doesn’t love cooking, not like he does. He remembers when she ‘took over’ CTV and cooked with Marilyn and said that she felt more comfortable flying through the air than she did stirring a pan. He didn’t care about what he was about to be served, he cared that she was serving it; that she had entered into something she felt nervous about and vulnerable with for him, for them, and he loved that._

_“Dinner is served” she said with a joking flourish as she placed two plates of pasta onto the table._

_“This looks great” he remarked – and meant it,_

_“Thanks” her smiled was genuine._

_They both began to eat in silence. She was quite pleased with the meal she had prepared. She had followed the instructions for the pasta sauce carefully._

_“Sorry, I didn’t offer you anything to drink” she shoots up from the table and heads to the kitchen where she has a bottle of red wine waiting. Returning to the table she fills their glasses._

_“A toast to us?” Scott raised his glass towards hers._

_“To us” she smiled – they had toasted to their partnership before after winning,  but this was different, this was a different shade of ‘us’, and they both felt it._

_The conversation over dinner was light, but it was comfortable, just like it always had been between them. Tessa reached over to refill his glass. His hand came immediately to cover it._

_“I have to drive back to my mom’s, remember”_

_“Oh, of course” she began to lower the bottle. She knew he was being kind and unpresumptuous – they were both fully aware of the evening could lead._

_“You…you don’t have to drive back.”_

_He fell silent, not sure what to say, not a hundred percent sure what she was saying – although he did, really, he knew what she was inviting._

_“I…” he needed to give some response”_

_“Scott…I’m offering a bed, the spare room, the sofa…my bed” she paused, she needed to clear the tension “anything you need”_

_“Anything” the word hung there and they both knew that she immediately regretted it. She was usually so good with words, dancing around questions, using superlatives he’d never even heard of. But he knew this was different, he knew that there was no training for this, no rehearsal, and she knew that she couldn’t be vague with him, couldn’t ‘ride it out’ until the cameras stopped rolling, because this wasn’t an act, this was them, real, and raw._

_It was her that broke the awkward silence between them and headed to the kitchen to get pudding, leaving him to decide on another glass of wine._

_“Now, I can’t profess to having made this myself” Tessa said as she carried the cheesecake from the kitchen to the table “but I did go to the shop, I did carry it home and I did put it on this plate, so I’m calling it ‘home prepared.’”_

_He loved the way she was so ready to make fun of herself, to poke at her cooking abilities, it was one of the things he had always loved about her and he felt that it something that was growing in her even more as she gained the confidence of a strong and beautiful woman._

_She smiled as she cut two slices and placed them into bowls._

_“Well, Virtch, that was amazing” Scott smiled as he placed his napkin on the table “you’ve thrown the gauntlet down for date nights now”_

_Tessa smiled in response – she was glad that he’d had a good time and that the earlier awkwardness between them had passed. She also noticed that he had indeed poured them both another glass of red wine._

_“Want to watch the game highlights from earlier?” she asked after taking their plates into the kitchen and heading down to her TV room._

_“Sounds perfect” Scott smiled as he left the table and followed her. He had always loved this room in Tessa’s house. Of course, he loved the whole house just because it was so ‘Tessa’, but this room was one that defied the rules, this was a room where you could holler and scream and swear at the TV in the company of friends and he liked that. He also liked that she had replaced the pictures of them at the hockey that were littered around the room – he understood why she had removed them for the photo shoot, but he was glad that they had been reinstated as soon as the photographers had left._

_They settled on the couch, taking seats apart to begin with. Scott immediately took the initiative and pulled her towards him._

_“Come here” he smiled as he pulled her across the sofa and into his arms “we’re not teenagers, too scared to get close to each other.”_

_She smiled at this and felt a hitch in her throat as he pulled her into him._

_“I don’t know, the making out we did in your car on the way back from Toronto might beg to differ”_

_“Just catching up for lost time” he grinned “we never made out as teenagers”_

_“We came close a few times”_

_“We did. I’m glad we didn’t though, now I mean, getting to here”_

_“Me too” he smiled at her, his hands around her waist “but I do like making up for lost time… a lot”_

_With that they both closed the space between them and allowed themselves to dive into each other’s lips. Scott expected for their kisses to start slowly and build up to a more frenzied pace, but to his surprise, they sped up only slightly, only enough to reinstate the tension against their numbing lips. Their kisses were slow, careful, considered and full of the pure enjoyment of each other. Tongues roving lips, tasting each other, hands in hair, on cheeks. They were breathless at times and stopped, breaking contact and planting light kisses on one another’s shoulders and temples. It was nice in a way that they had never expected, this tenderness. It was about taking it slowly, getting to know each other, accepting the beginning of a new journey after two decades of another._

_“Scott, I want you to come to bed with me, but..”_

_“Just sleep” he finished “me too. I like tonight, I like where we are right now, starting from the beginning.”_

_She smiled up at him then, loving that he knew her mind as well as her heart._

_They turned out the lights and headed towards her bedroom. As she slid between the crisp white sheets she thought about how he would be the first person to share this bed with her – of course there had been boyfriends, there had been Ryan, but after him she’d changed her bedroom, she’d needed a fresh start and she took the chance to decorate. Scott would be the first man to be here with her, and she knew, in her heart, that he would be the last. She felt him slide into bed beside her dressed in only his boxer shorts. She felt his leg touch hers, soft and warm._

_“Cuddles?” he asked smiling at her._

_She moved into him and folded herself against him. He touched a kiss to her head._

_“Night, Tess” he said quietly._

_***_

Tess curled up behind him, putting her arms around his torso and her lips to his neck.

“Good morning to me” he grinned as she started to pepper his neck with kisses. She paid special attention to the spot behind his ear, which she had discovered he liked just as much as she did! A low and satisfied groan emanated from his lips to tell her that she was making him feel good. At his moan her hand slid from his stomach and into his boxers.

“A very good morning to me” his grin widened at her touch and he felt her smile.

“I forgot my wat…” without warning the door was flung open and a breathless Chiddy burst through it. With a squeal Tessa dived under the sheets and pulled them above her head. Scott jumped in surprise, suddenly awake and facing the door.

“I’m…I’m sorry… I…” Chiddy started, then paused as a smile spread wide across his lips “Tessa, I know that’s you under there” he couldn’t help but supress a giggle – finally, caught red-handed. Tessa slowly emerged from beneath the sheets, well her head, forehead and eyes did, but that was all Chiddy needed to see to know that she was red with embarrassment.

“We were…we were just…” Scott began to mutter.

“Go on” Chiddy teased, drawing out his friends’ discomfort “I can’t wait for this one”

“We were just…” Scott struggled to find the words.

“We’re together” Tess said firmly, rising from beneath the sheets and looking Chiddy in the eye “Scott and I are, we’re…well, we’re together”

Chiddy stood silent and motionless for a moment, taking in the scene in front of him. He knew this day was coming – he thought perhaps he had helped wish it into existence – but he hadn’t imagined it in quite this way.

“Congratulations” he beamed, jumping on the bed to join them “at last!”

Tessa and Scott blushed at his last sentence – they knew all of their friend and family (not to mention their fans) were rooting for them to be together and they knew they had a lot of ‘at last’ and ‘told you so’ ahead of them.

“Thanks, Patrick” Scott said sincerely as he leant into his friend for a hug “we just needed some time; this is still really new”

“Can I ask how new?”

“A couple of weeks”

“Wow, you guys really did take your time. You know how to pick your time, too – just as we go on tour!”

“We know” Scott sighed, “but the timing was right in every other way for us. We know the tour isn’t the greatest time to try to hide this, which is why we wanted to tell everyone, wanted to tell you, only…”

“Not like this” Chiddy smiled.

“Not quite what I had imagined, no” Scott smiled.

“Well, I am so happy for you guys, and you can rely on me to keep it to myself, if that’s what you want.”

“It is, for now” Tessa smiled.

“Just for a while longer” Scott added.

“No problem” Chiddy smiled “Now, I’ll just get my watch and leave you two…to…to…” an awkward silence fell over the room as he searched for the right thing to say “leave you to it” and with that he grabbed his watch and left the room.

Tessa threw herself back against the pillow. “How embarrassing”

Scott couldn’t help but laugh at her “It’s ok, it’s Chiddy, he wasn’t that embarrassed, plus I think we’ve all seen each other in all manner of situations before now”

“Oh, really?” she responded “and when has Chiddy walked in on you with your hand down someone’s pants?”

“Ok, maybe not exactly that situation” Scott had to concede, even if it was with a grin “but he didn’t see anything”

“He didn’t need to, Scott, we were in bed together”

“We were cuddling” Scott assured her. A devilish grin spread across his lips as he pushed himself from the bed and hovered above her “it could have been a lot worse”

“Oh, really” she was smiling now, he had managed to bring her round to the point of finding the situation funny “and how’s that?” her turn to sport the devilish grin – back atcha, Moir.

“Well,” his hands went straight to her the hem of her PJ top, never one to forego a challenge “firstly, you could have been topless” her top landed on the floor as he said it. 

“That would have been pretty bad” she grinned at him, enjoying his game.

“And I could have been sans underwear” his boxers were the next thing to fly from beneath the sheets, eliciting a giggle from the back of her throat.

“He can’t see that, that’s a minor embarrassment” she provoked him.

“Well, what about it your face looked like this” he stole the devilish grin back as pushed into her, knowing she wasn’t expecting it, but knowing that she would welcome it.

He left her speechless, the only sound emerging from her lips was a tight, deep growl.

*******

Tessa noticed a glow in Kaitlyn’s cheeks when they met at the golf club’s bar later that morning. She touched her cheek with the back of her hand, wondering whether she was sporting a warm blush after her unplanned early morning shenanigans.

“Hey, buddy” Scott clapped Andrew on the back as they met at the bar “ready to be beaten?”

Andrew smiled at Scott’s ‘threat’ – they both knew it was needless; Scott could out play all of them.

Meanwhile, Tessa and Kaitlyn embraced.

“Good night away?” Tessa smiled at her friend, already knowing the answer.

“You could say that” Kaitlyn smiled in response. Tessa rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend. She was looking forward to being able to share her secret with Kaitlyn so that they could talk about Scott and Andrew and their relationships.

“I saw that eye roll” Kaitlyn smiled “and yes, there definitely was some rolling about” she and Tessa both sniggered at this “but, there was also this” Kaitlyn’s tone became conspiratorial as she reached into her top and pulled out a silver chain that was secured around her neck, on the end of which was an engagement ring. Tessa’s eyes widened, she checked around her, seeing that no one was watching, and then she allowed a silent scream to exit her mouth and she scooped Kaitlyn up in her arms.

“What’s going on over there?” Scott asked Chiddy and Andrew with no expectation of a response.

“Erm, Kaitlyn’s probably just told Tess that we got engaged last night” Andrew smiled, trying to be nonchalant and failing, miserably.

“What?” Chiddy’s face lit up “congratulations” he shook Andrew’s hand with vigour.

“Wow” Scott chimed in, pulling Andrew into a bear hug “congratulations, that’s amazing”

Hearing the boys, Kaitlyn and Tessa headed over towards them and hugs and kisses her exchanged. They still had to be careful, keeping their voices low and checking that no one was watching them too closely.  

“Well, I know there’s no one else for me” Andrew smiled “so, may as well make it official”

They laughed at his comment, knowing exactly what he felt for Kaitlyn and the way he adored her. Tessa could see Kaitlyn gazing at him, smiling, and she knew all too well that her friend wanted nothing more than to place a kiss on her partner’s lips. Nothing heavy, nothing sexual, just a kiss, a kiss shared between two people in love. Tessa knew the pain of having to hide, having to push down the urge to show the love that was welling up and about to brim over. She wondered whether they would all be free one day to love like they wanted, like everyone else, no more hiding.

“Don’t go thinking this means we’re going to let you guys win” Scott said with a laugh “engagement or no, this is a real game”

They all laughed at him then, happy in the moment and to be with the people they loved.

Having the whole day ahead of them, they played solo, all taking on each other. That didn’t stop Scott giving Tessa tips, though, ever willing to help out, and she always willing to learn.

“I’m happy for Kaitlyn and Andrew” Tessa said as they stood beside each other, out of ear shot of the group.

“Me too” Scott replied, wondering where this conversation was going.

“And I’m glad Chiddy knows about us, too” she added.

“So am I, Tess”

“Do you think…I mean, one, day, do you think we’ll all be able to just be together, you know, be open”

He understood now, watching Kaitlyn and Andrew in the club house and the way that they’d had to celebrate quietly had got her to thinking about how their relationships would pan out, where they would go in the future and whether they would ever be able to be like ‘other couples’.

“I think we can be as open as we decide we want to be”

“You know that’s not true, with people around and…”

“Tess, people will take pictures of course, but that doesn’t have to stop us from acting how we want. I mean we’re not talking about doing things in public that are embarrassing, are we?”

“No” she blushed “but I mean, kissing, kissing you…”

“Then you can kiss me” he said simply “what’s the worst that’s going to happen? It’s going to be posted or printed somewhere, so what? It doesn’t change how we feel about each other. Plus, this world could do with more pictures of people in love rather than people fighting.”

She let his words sink in. She couldn’t help but feel that he was right in an idealistic world – in a world where people didn’t print lies and spread hate. But she also knew that he was right, that they had to live their love in the way that they wanted to, not to please, or avoid displeasing, other people. They had shared a lot of themselves with others but this, this was for them and them alone.

“So, when we’re, you know, ‘public’, you wouldn’t mind if I kissed you, just, I don’t know, at the rink, or in a restaurant, or, I don’t know, in the street?”

“Of course not” he smiled (he knew it would take a lot for her to get a point where she was that open in front of anyone, but he was happy that she was thinking about it; all he wanted was for her to feel that she could always be herself, just as she wanted to be). “I would feel proud” he smiled back at her.

“Come on, your turn, Scott” Chiddy shouted over to him, raising his eyebrows. Scott smiled at his friend and walked forward to take his shot.

***

“Okay, let’s see” Scott said as he chewed the end of the pencil and added up the numbers from the score card. In fifth place we have… Miss Kaitlyn Weaver” the table clapped and Kaitlyn made a mock curtsey in her seat.

“And in fourth place we have…Mr Andrew Poje”

“You guys,” Chiddy mocked “always so in sync”

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes at him.

“Third place goes to…” Scott allowed a pause to build tension “Mr Patrick Chan!” more cheers.

“Which leaves only second and first” he smiled at Tess “In second place…T-Girl!” the noise as a cheer and then a Scott read his own name out in first place there was a mock groan followed by a sincere cheer.

“Well done, buddy” Patrick smiled as he shook Scott’s hand “a deserved win”

“And well done for coming second, Tess” Andrew added.

“Well, I’ve had a good teacher” she smiled at Scott across the table. They all lifted their glasses in celebration before taking a drink and then replacing their glasses on the table.

“So, Kaitlyn and I were hoping that everyone would agree to join us for dinner tonight” Andrew announced “so we can share our news and celebrate with our friends”

“Sounds great” Patrick smiled.

“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it” Scott replied before stealing a glance at Tessa, and seeing her smiling and understanding eyes returning his sentiment. They had planned to spend the night together – a story about meeting a sponsor out of town giving them the perfect excuse to stay away for the night. The look that passed between them said that there was nothing that could be worth missing their friends’ engagement dinner for. They had years together ahead of them to enjoy, and many behind them which had been spent with the wonderful friends that they were grateful to have, so the dinner was no sacrifice. Chiddy saw the look pass between them.

“I thought you two had a meeting with a sponsor?” he offered “you said tonight didn’t you, Scott?”

“It can wait” Scott said quickly, thankful for Chiddy’s help, but also letting his friend know that the choice has been made.

“Ah” Chiddy replied, understanding. He knew that Scott and Tessa valued their friends and family above all else and so was unsurprised by his friends’ selflessness.

***

The whole group were seated in a restaurant in Jasper. Andrew had called ahead and requested a private room, allowing them to enjoy the night as they wanted. Initially the restaurant had been confused, not used to such requests, but once Andrew had mentioned Tessa and Scott he had quickly reached an understanding with the restaurant and a room was arranged for them.

The food was ordered and the wine was flowing freely. Andrew stood and cleared his throat, feeling the group’s eyes turn on him.

“Wow, this is a little more nerve wracking than I had anticipated” he exhaled, confused looks spread around the table.

“I…we” his hand went to Kaitlyn’s shoulder beside him “we wanted us to all eat together tonight so that we could tell you some good news”

The smiles around the table were audible as the group guessed what he was about to say.

“I asked Kaitlyn to marry me” Andrew smiled down at Kaitlyn “and she said yes”

Whoops travelled around the table followed by applause. Everyone was soon on their feet and in a huddle around Kaitlyn and Andrew. Slaps on the back, hugs and kisses abounded. There was genuine happiness falling from every person in the room.

“Have you set a date?” Kaetlyn asked.

“Well, we want a summer wedding” Kaitlyn responded “perhaps the summer after next, we’ve not really got any concrete plans yet”

“Well,” Elvis spoke over the crowd “all grab a glass and let’s have a toast to our friends”

Everyone grabbed their glasses and raised them in the air.

“To Kaitlyn and Andrew” Elvis said.

“To Kaitlyn and Andrew” every echoed.

Everyone took a sip of their drinks and then clapped as Kaitlyn and Andrew kissed. Scott took Tessa’s hand and squeezed it, a squeeze he thought no one saw, but Chiddy’s eye was drawn to the lovers’ secret words.

“And,” Chiddy chimed in “I think this calls for some bus changes.” Everyone looked at him, wondering where he was going with his comment.

“We don’t want to be the people to keep future man and wife apart” he explained “so, Andrew, I will take your place with Eric and you can move in with Kaitlyn. Tess, that leaves you sharing with Scott, I’m afraid.”

Tess smiled, immediately aware of what their friend had just done “fine with me” she replied, hoping she appeared relaxed about the idea.

“Tess… I don’t…I…” Kaitlyn began to protest, not wanting her friend to think she had ditched her.

“Ah, come on” Eric chimed in “it will save the creeping around”

Tessa shot Scott a look out of the corner of her eye, to which Scott, knowing exactly what she was thinking, shook his head slowly to reassure her.

Kaitlyn blushed at Eric’s comment, knowing that he was referring to her and Andrew.

“That’s settled, then” Chiddy smiled as he sat down.

Scott looked over towards Chiddy as they all sat down, shooting him a look of thanks that he knew Chiddy received and understood, Chiddy raised his glass subtly towards his best friend.

***

Tessa zipped up her bag and put it down at the end of her bed.

“Tess, are you sure about this?” Kaitlyn asked as she watched “I know you wanted it to be like old times, I… didn’t mean to…”

“Kait” Tess smiled “it’s fine, really”

Kaitlyn smiled back at her friend “thanks, Tess” she said with a sincere smile.

Tessa stopped for a moment and thought about telling Kaitlyn there and then about her and Scott. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. Perhaps tomorrow.

 


	6. Silence and Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one today - although there may be more later.

“Hello, bunk mate” Scott smiled as he slipped into what was now their room and shut the door behind him.

Tessa smiled – it was a wide smile that told him there was something lurking behind it.

“What?” he smiled back at her.

“Please don’t ever use that phrase in public, Scott”

“Understood” he giggled “I’ll stick to bandmates” he grinned.

“No. That’s also vetoed, and you know it!”

“What about I just keep quiet?”

“What about you come over here and keep your mouth busy?” she blushed as she said it, feeling the heat rise inside of her “and then you can’t get yourself into any trouble”

He didn’t need to be told twice! He headed towards the bed and sat on the bottom, looking up at her as she propped herself up on the pillow. He lowered his head and made his way to her toes, kissing them gently. His mouth moved up to her feet, planting kisses on the soft skin leading to her ankles. He half raised his head and made eye contact with her.

“This what you had in mind?” he asked cheekily.

“Not exactly” she smiled back.

“Sorry, of course, higher” he nodded as he moved his lips above her ankles and peppered her strong and toned shins.

“Better?”

“Getting there”

His lips moved towards her knees as he scooted himself up the bed, straddling her leg. He planted a kiss on each knee. He paid her knees more attention, knowing that she was waiting in anticipation of his move to her thighs. He could hear her breathing steady, relaxed enjoying his attention. He knew that when he moved his lips to the soft flesh on the inside of her thighs he would hear her breath hitch and become unsteady. He felt something stir deep within him as he imagined the sound she would make when his lips finally reached their destination and rested between her legs. His mind flitted back to the first time she’d allowed him to go down on her.

***

_Scott grabbed his phone and punched out a quick text. He wanted to spend their last free night together before the tour, but he didn’t want to crowd her. Plus, he knew she liked to take her time with her packing._

**_I’m all packed, how are you getting on? Xx_ **

_Her reply came through more quickly than he had expected._

**_I’m done, too. Not sure the bus is going to cope with all the weight, but I feel like it’s all essential. Xx_ **

_He laughed to himself – when it came to packing ‘essential’ was a word they each used a different dictionary for. His phone pinged again, almost immediately._

**_I’ll order food now, about half an hour?_ **

**_Perfect. Xx._ ** _He replied._

_They had thought about going out to one of their favourite Montreal restaurants for their last evening, but decided against it, opting for a quiet evening in – they knew they’d spend the next couple of months being discrete, watching their actions, and so wanted to enjoy their final evening of freedom._

_They’d enjoyed dinner, sitting at her dining room table and eating out of take out boxes. Tessa’s Montreal apartment was like her London home – fresh and simple and calm. He enjoyed the peace she created there and felt like it was a place that was becoming more and more perfect for them to hide away in. It was also the place they had slept together for the first time, and for that reason it was special to him, felt special to him, felt like the place that they would always circle back to and feel at home in because it felt like a place in which they had crossed a line that could never be erased._

_Scott searched his phone for music as Tessa cleared away their water glasses and cutlery. He opted for mellow and neutral, just background music. As the music began to flow from her speakers and into the room he lay back against the sofa’s softness and took a sip of his beer. Soon she joined him on the sofa, a smile on her face as she headed straight for his lips and pressed her own against them._

_“You don’t waste time, Virtch” he smiled as she broke the contact._

_“Complaining?” she smiled at him._

_He answered with a kiss of his own, this one deeper and stronger than the one she had initiated. She responded and settled herself into a comfortable position against him on the sofa. Their kisses deepened, a routine they were becoming familiar with. Tessa allowed her hands to rest on his shoulders and then make their way down to his stomach. Her fingers toyed with the hem of his t shirt as they kissed. His hands were already underneath her vest top, exploring her soft bare skin. They moaned together, happy to be in one another’s hands. His hands left her skin and made their way to the straps of her vest. He pulled each strap down her shoulder, planting kisses in the spot the material vacated. Her hands dropped to his waist and her finger tips started a dance around the band of his shorts. With her chest exposed in front of him he took a deep breath before tracing his tongue around her nipples. Her breath hitched at the contact and her head fell to his shoulder, her tongue marking a route along his shoulder. As their need and want grew their clothes littered the floor, leaving them skin to skin. They were at the point where the next move was the bliss of being inside each other, mentally and physically. As she was about to suggest they move to the bedroom, Scott pushed Tessa back gently against the sofa’s arm and scooted his mouth down to her stomach. She felt her stomach butterfly – she was pretty certain he was about to go somewhere new tonight. Scott felt her inhale and knew that she was thinking about the proposal his tongue was currently making. He knew that this was intimacy she would feel the need to prepare for. She allowed very few people to get emotionally close to her and whilst there was emotion in their sex and an intimacy that grew every time they did it, this was an emotional closeness that he knew she would feel in a different way. For her, not only would this be physically intimate ( the lesser deal for her given how close their bodies were on a daily basis in their work), but the emotional intimacy of allowing someone to be purely in control of her was something she would feel keenly. Not only that, but another person giving to her for no return, with no debt, with no expectation and only for her pleasure and to meet her needs was something she wouldn’t immediately accept. He kissed the skin above her pubic area, keeping his kisses slow and light. He felt her tense slightly. He moved back up the sofa in order to meet her eyes._

_“Are you ok with this?”_

_She looked at him for a moment, searching the depths of his eyes. She hadn’t let any of her other boyfriends go down on her – not that she was a prude, or that she didn’t enjoy sex, but it was something she just never let them do. Not that they had shown much interest in doing so – Ryan had made some feeble attempt after a drunken party, but she’d managed to divert his attention, and he’d never ventured there again._

_She nodded. She wanted to be open with him, be all in with him. He kissed her lips gently._

_“I love you” he whispered to her._

_She smiled._

_“I love you, too”_

_“You’ll love me even more after this” he grinned, breaking the serious air that had fallen between them._

_She smiled and wanted to make a comment about him being very sure of himself, but she simply spoke with her eyes, giving him the permission he had sought._

_He left another kiss on her lips before retreating back down the sofa._

_His kisses to the inside of her thighs were soft and loving, moving higher as he worked. He didn’t kiss around her too much, he didn’t want her to feel that this was about his performance, about him being in control and showing her that he could choose when she tipped over the edge, that he could play with her, hold her back, make her want him. For this he just wanted her to feel safe and cared for and that he was doing it for her – it was important to him that she felt good, and that was all._

_His tongue started slowly, taking her in little by little. He could hear her breath become heavy above him. He took it deeper, working out the spots she responded to. He felt her tense as his tongue made contact with her clit. He continued gently and slowly, knowing that the tension wasn’t just about the pleasure he was bringing, but also about the frontier he was entering and what it signified for her. As he licked her gently he slid his hand up the sofa and found hers. He grabbed a hold of it and drew small circles on her hand. He felt her hand relax into his and her body relaxed under him to. He kept the contact as he gently sucked. He heard a groan leave her mouth and repeated the move. Her hand tightened in his and he squeezed it, reassuring her. He could tell that she wasn’t going to last long this first time, and he wanted her to know that was fine, that this was all about her and that she could be herself with him, he was only ever going to hold her and love and soothe her. His fingers laced into hers, telling her not to hold back, not to tense up, to give herself up to him, that once she had ridden the wave and been thrown back out of it he would still be there ready to hold her. He sucked harder and faster and he felt her buck beneath him and a strangled moan leave her mouth. Her nails dug into the flesh on the back of his hand and he felt her thighs tense. A moment more and she would come undone, baring the last of herself to him. He felt her spasm beneath his tongue and he licked gently at her as she rode the wave of pleasure that pulsed through her and pulled a loud groan from her throat. As her rising body met his face he grabbed her other hand, connecting them completely. She came down from the high and he knew he needed to move his mouth, she was now too sensitive to take even his breath on her. He rose to meet her face, rolling onto his side and wrapping his arms around her so that they were face to face on the sofa. Her eyes were closed and a satisfied smile rested on her lips. He kissed her closed eye lids._

_“That was nice” her eyes were still closed, her words breathy._

_“It was” he replied, letting her know that he had enjoyed it as much as she had._

_***_

His tongue made contact with the rush that dripped out of her as she came. He could hear her panting against the pillow, spent and calm.

“How does that just keep getting better?” she panted, her voice calm and low.

He smiled and crawled up the bed to meet her.

“Practice makes perfect” he said as he curled next to her.

“Well, you can practice all you want on me” she smiled.

They lay there for a moment as she recovered and enjoyed the euphoria. Scott stroked his cock lazily, rejoicing in the heat she created in him. She rolled onto her side and replaced his hand with hers, stroking him slowly but surely. She had never been with a guy who liked to be touched as much as he did. Sure, every guy loves a hand job, and her past boyfriends had been no exception to that rule, but they were always for when sex wasn’t possible, or they were tired or time was against them. It wasn’t like that with Scott, he like her to lie next to him and stroke him to orgasm as she spoke to him and kissed him. She guessed he liked the intimacy, or perhaps the contact, she wasn’t sure.

“You like this” she said simply, the words leaving her mouth before she could think.

“Mmm, I do” he responded “I like your hands on me, I like you right there next to me. And I really like the way you make feel – you really have a hidden talent you know, T.”

She blushed. She never really considered herself to be the kind of woman men would rave about in the bedroom. She knew she had sex appeal, that she could be enticing and alluring, but that was really on the ice, when she was playing someone else – Carmen, Satine, they were sexual characters and she could channel into them, but off the ice, as herself, as Tessa, she never really allowed herself to be like that with someone, perhaps because it just made her feel so open and vulnerable, or perhaps because there hadn’t been anyone who had made her feel like she wanted to give that much to them.

She stroked downwards, twisting her wrist as she went – she knew it drove him wild, made him begin to buck towards her hand.

He groaned at her movement, his hands travelling above his head, opening his whole body to the pleasure she was giving him. As he worked closer to his orgasm she moved her other hand to his balls, pressing gently at first and then building the tension as she pumped him harder.

“I’m close” his voice shook. She put her lips on his and kissed him and she took him over the edge, squeezing his balls as he shot over his stomach and groaned with pleasure. She put her head on his chest and his hand rested on her shoulder. They lay for a while, both lying on the softness of the pleasure they’d enjoyed and created for each other. Tessa reached into her bag and pulled out some wipes to clean him up – ever prepared.

They crawled under the covers, wrapped themselves around each other and fell into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Kaitlyn/Tessa time up next!


	7. Guessing Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse any typos - I typed the whole chapter on my phone and proof read it quickly. Hope you enjoy. Please leave comments if you like it - they always provide inspiration!

The Grand Prairie crowd was electric, whooping and cheering at all of the lifts and turns. The group numbers were popular, as always and Scott and Tessa got a lot of attention from the audience. Just as she was landing the final lift of the night, Kaitlyn felt a sharp pain travel down her ankle as it made contact with the ice at an awkward angle. She was able to stop herself from falling and the audience were mostly unaware of what had happened, but as Andrew pulled her into him for the final pose of the dance, she whispered into his ear, letting him know that she was in pain. They bowed to the audience and Andrew swept Kaitlyn into his arms, making the crowd cheer. Covering her need to be carried off the ice with their improvised choreography, they made it back stage and into the dressing room  
.  
“What happened?” Andrew asked as he placed Kaitlyn down on a chair and pulled another chair over for her to rest her foot on.

“Just an awkward landing” she replied, wincing as she put her foot up onto the chair he had provided.

Andrew carefully removed her skate and rolled up the bottom of her footless tights to get a better look at the ankle in question. He moved his fingers around the bone, feeling for any sign of a break.

“It just feels sprained” Kaitlyn said “nothing worse. We’ve got a physio and massage session before we leave tomorrow, that will help”

“Yeah,” Andrew agreed “but I think you should ice it and stay off it tonight”

“Well, the meet and greet isn’t going to do it any harm, I’ll be sitting for that, and then I’ll take it easy when we get back”

Andrew looked at his watch. “Talking of the meet and greet, we need to get going.”

“Sure” Kaitlyn responded “why don’t you go and get ready and see if you can find Tess on the way, she can help me get dressed and you can carry me down to the room”

“Will do” Andrew responded as he left the room.

Half an hour later Kaitlyn was dressed and Andrew had deposited her on the chair next to his at the meet and greet. Tessa made sure Kaitlyn had a chair to put her foot onto and put an ice pack on her ankle.

The meet and greet flew by, as they always did and as the final few fans left talk turned towards dinner.

“I called ahead and booked a place that stays open late” Scott informed the group.

“Perfect” came Eric’s reply as he put his hand to his stomach.

“I’ve booked taxis to take us” Scott informed them “they’ll be here in about 10”

This information was met with smiles as the group became acutely aware of their rumbling stomachs.

“I think I’m going to head back to the bus” Kaitlyn announced “there’s still some food in the fridge and I just need to keep off this ankle”

No one in the group protested – they were all athletes and well aware of the sacrifices their lives came with.

“I’ll stay with you” Tess stated – and It was a statement, not an offer.

“No, it’s fine…” Kaitlyn began, not expecting her friend to forego dinner on her account.

“That voice isn’t one that encompasses choice, Kait” Scott smiled in response to Tessa’s statement. He knew that voice, it was one of determination and decision – she’d used it when they’d first looked around her house together and despite its crumbling state she had been ready to buy it on the spot.

“Thanks” Kaitlyn smiled at Tessa.

Scott,Tessa and Kaitlyn left the others waiting for the taxis as they made the short trip back to the bus, Scott carrying Kaitlyn and Tessa opening doors as they left the venue. Scott took Kaitlyn in and placed her on the sofa, making sure she had plenty of space to stretch out her leg. Tessa headed straight to the kitchen area to put together some food and grab a bottle of wine. She felt Scott enter behind her, he looped his arms around her waist as she pilled crackers and olives onto a plate.

“An unexpected girls’ night in” he smiled into her shoulder. She reached up and popped an olive into his mouth.

“Yeah” she smiled “just what we need”

“Really?” Scott knew what she was thinking, knew that she would be preparing herself to tell Kaitlyn about them, but he wanted to hear it from her, for her to feel that it was something she was in control of rather than a suggestion or expectation from him.

“Shouldn’t you be getting to the restaurant?” She asked breezily in order to distract him from the conversation that was brewing between them.

“I should” he said, taking her cue and removing himself from her body. “Have fun, see you later” he placed a quick kiss on her lips before heading out.

“Now, it’s no gourmet feast” Tessa smiled as she headed into the lounge with a plate in each hand and a bottle of red underneath her right arm “but you’ll be pleased to know that there was no cooking involved”

“Probably just as well” Kaitlyn smiled “we need the bus in one piece for the rest of the tour”

Tessa smiled at Kaitlyn’s comment. She loved the ease they had together after years of friendship, and she really was grateful for the evening that lay ahead. Pouring two glasses of wine she made herself comfortable on the sofa next to her friend.

“So,” Tessa smiled as she took a sip of wine “come on, I want to hear all about the proposal” she shifted in her seat, settling in as if for a long story.

Kaitlyn blushed slightly, but felt the warmth of the wine wash through her at the prospect of finally getting the chance to tell Tess all about it.

“We decided before we left home that it would be nice to stay away a night in Jasper, and I left it to Andrew to find somewhere to stay. He never really mentioned it much after the initial idea was raised, and just said that he’d got something sorted. So, I didn’t have any idea that he’d booked a cabin, arranged to have champagne and strawberries in the room, music playing. And when we got there I just thought it was so sweet of him to make it romantic – made me feel slightly less like it was a booty call” she giggled. At first she had been a bit reluctant about the idea of staying away from the bus for the night, feeling embarrassed at the idea of their friends knowing exactly why they were spending the night away. But then, she had assured herself that they were all adults and couples wanting to have sex didn’t need to be some taboo subject , causing them to sneak around. Everyone had been on tour before, they all knew the frustrations that occurred!

Tessa giggled at the idea too as she took another sip of wine. She was beginning to understand all too well how claustrophobic a tour bus could be for lovers!

“You had no idea?” Tessa questioned her friend with a smile.

“No, none at all” Kaitlyn smiled “I really wasn’t expecting it. He’d brought food in his bag – he’d planned every detail – we ate and talked about our relationship and how lucky we felt to have found each other, it was really nice. Then after we’d eaten he produced a huge bouquet of flowers from the closet in the room – I was so overwhelmed and he was so happy when he gave them to me. And in the bouquet was a card, I opened it and it just said ‘please say yes’, I looked up and he was on one knee in front of me, ring in his hand.”

Tessa shifted on the couch as she delighted in her friend’a excitement. She knew exactly why Andrew had chosen flowers to ask her to marry him – he’d sent flowers to her house every day for a week when they had first got together, and on each card each day he had written a reason he loved her. Tessa had always loved the story, thinking that Andrew was so perfectly romantic and that Kaitlyn deserved nothing less.

“And you said yes straight away, of course?” Tessa smiled

“After I’d recovered from the shock!” Kaitlyn beamed “I really wasn’t expecting it. I mean, we’re in a good place, in fact our relationship is better than ever, but we’d not discussed it or even touched on it.”

“You’re happy, though?” Tessa checked, wanting Kaitlyn to know that there was nothing she ever needed to hide.

“More than happy” Kaitlyn laughed “so much more than happy. You’d better be ready for some wedding planning! I was thinking of asking Jessica to be my wedding planner, but I want you involved every step of the way! You’re the one with the eye for fashion and décor!”

Tessa laughed, not too sure she was up to planning a wedding, but honoured to be asked to be involved.

“I can’t wait” Tessa smiled.

“So, come on, how’s the love life of Olympic gold medalist Tessa Virtue?” Kaitlyn smiled, taking a sip of her wine and looking at her friend in expectation. She knew she would likely get the same answer she got every time she asked Tessa the same question – no time, dedicated to her work etc. She knew her friend wasn’t one for random hook ups, but she did worry sometimes about Tessa’s desire to actually find someone to have even a casual fling with. She still wasn’t entirely sure what was and had happened between Tessa and Scott in the past, but Tessa always denied anything having happened, although she had admitted that they’d come close to kissing a few times over the years, but she knew Tessa had packed those instances away into one of her many boxes, meaning they were off limits, even to herself.

Tessa took a sip of wine. “There is someone, actually.”

Kaitlyn’s eyes widened and she moved slightly closer.

“It’s new” Tessa wasn’t sure where to start, and decided that there probably wasn’t a perfect place, and the best thing to do was to just stumble through it.

“Oww,” Kaitlyn’s interest grew “ is it someone I know? Is it…hang on, what’s his name, the guy from the lacrosse team, Josh something.” Seeing Tessa’s lack of acknowledgment at that guess she moved on, her excitement growing “oh, I know, that friend of Jordan’s with the nice teeth?”

Tessa’s face remained blank, telling her she was yet to get to the correct answer. Tessa might have actually just given the answer had Kaitlyn come up for air and allowed her to get a word in edge ways!

“So do I know him?” Kaitlyn asked.

Tessa nodded.

“Ok…someone I know…” she squinted her eyes in thought “it’s not Ryan, because frankly, I’d disown you”

“Nope, not going there again” Tessa confirmed.

“And it’s not that guy you met in Mexico?”

“No” Tessa smiled

“Oh, I don’t know” Kaitlyn conceded and shook her head “Scott” she added with a laugh.

Tessa remained silent, peering down into her wine glass.

“Teeess?” Kaitlyn drew out her name as her eyes widened.

Tessa remained silent, her heart thumping in her chest.

“Tessa Virtue, look at me right now” she demanded.

Tessa slowly raised her eyes from her wine glass to meet Kaitlyn’s, the shy smile in them could not hide her secret any longer. Kaitlyn’s hand flew to her mouth at the same time that a scream escaped it.  
“Tess, you and Scott, seriously?” She needed confirmation

“Seriously” Tessa confirmed with a huge smile.

Both women were now grinning uncontrollably.

“When? How long!” Kaitlyn could barely get the questions out quick enough.

“After Thank You Ilderton” Tessa responded. “I mean the day following, but stuff had been happening in the lead up to it”

“Stuff? Stuff? What stuff?”

“Not what you’re thinking” Tessa blushed “just, we spent some time together at the cottage and there was a moment”

“T, I have been waiting years for this, you’re going to have to do a bit better than ‘a moment’” Kaitlyn pushed her onwards.

“Well, we were on the beach, late, we’d been drinking and there was almost a kiss” It was the first time Tessa had described the event and as it left her mouth she knew she hadn’t done the moment justice, but then, how could she describe how she’d felt that night beneath the stars.

“And…?” Kaitlyn urged.

“And nothing.” Tessa stated “we stopped, we were both drunk. I flew to Mexico the next day”

“And then what happened?”

“And then things got somewhat confusing and Scott thought I was hooking up with one of Jess’ fashion friends. He decided we’d made a mistake and shut it down”

Kaitlyn’s wine almost left her mouth in shock. “He did what? That man seriously needs his head seeing to”

“He was just trying to be nice, trying to be caring, being Scott, you know”

“And?”

“And then I decided that if a girl wants something she’s got to go out there and grab it” Tessa said with a flourish.

“Aka you terrified but did it anyway” Kaitlyn said, deadpan.

“Spot on” Tessa nodded. They both giggled.

“I told him how I felt, we spent the night in Toronto – apart – and then we’ve been just ‘going with it’ ever since” Tessa’s cheeks blushed.

“Tess, I am so happy for both of you” Kaitlyn smiled. She really wanted to get up and hug her friend, but her ankle stood in the way of that.  
“Who else have you told?” Kaitlyn enquired.

“You’re the first person I’ve told” Tessa replied “but Chiddy does know as well”

Kaitlyn’s eyes questioned how this could be the case. Tessa’s face went bright red.

“Noooo?!” Kaitlyn howled as she realised what had happened.

“How? When?”

“I thought he’d gone out for a run with Elvis” Tessa felt like she was in the confessional “so I…” she swallowed “I was in Scott’s…” she was going to say room, but went with the truth “bed. And he came back in.” Her face grew a deeper shade of red.

Kaitlyn let out a howl that came from the depths of her stomach. Just as the noise dissipated she heard the bus door open and the voices of the others returning.

“This is not over, T” Kaitlyn winked at her as they fell silent and awaited the appearance of the rest of the group. .

 


	8. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still away travelling, so I have written this on my phone- please excuse any typos!!  
> I’ve got the whole get away planned out, but wanted to give you a little something for now. Anyone guess where this chapter is headed?

The bus made the journey from Grand Prairie to Prince George as they slept - a night’s sleep the whole gang welcomed. They were all looking forward to the two days off they had before the next show. They had most of the routines looking perfect, and they all felt comfortable, so there wasn’t anything more than the usual rehearsal on the morning of the show planned. Everyone had made their plans before the tour began, knowing that this would be a welcome break by the time it came. Trent had travelled to meet Kaetlyn and they were set for some hiking, Elvis was meeting with a friend in a nearby town, Eric and Meaghan had made plans with friends and family and Chiddy was flying to meet Liz. Andrew and Kaitlyn were staying on the bus in order to give Kaitlyn’s ankle some time to rest and heal. Tessa and Scott hasn’t made any plans and we’re planning to stay on the bus, too. Or so Tessa thought!   
Seeing how much Andrew and Kaitlyn had enjoyed some time away, and given that he and Tess missed their own night away, Scott had decided to make some last minute plans for them to spend the couple of days off together. Despite the fact it was winter, cold and there was snow on the ground, almost all of the cabins around the area were already unavailable. Scott cursed himself for leaving the booking so late - he should have thought to make a few arrangements before they even left for the tour. That said, in the weeks leading up to he tour he had been somewhat busy at the rink and somewhat distracted at home! He managed to find one cabin that was available. It was, erm, well, rustic.

“Rustic?!” both Kaitlyn’s voice and eyebrows raised “Scott, it’s nothing more than a heap of sticks”

“Sshh” Scott warned her “Tess is only in the kitchen”

“Scott, her hearing about this is the least of your worries” Kaitlyn whispered “wait till you get her to a hovel in the woods with no running water or windows”

“Stop exaggerating” Scott whispered back as he flicked through the photos on the screen of his phone “it’s got power, water, windows and even a roof” 

“Well, on your own head be it, Scott” Kaitlyn replied “but don’t think we’re swapping the rooms back when you get back!”

Scott rolled his eyes at her - he was pretty certain that he’d have to do a hell of a lot worse to make Tessa kick him out of bed...right? 

“So, does that mean you’re willing to help me?” Scott smiled at Kaitlyn.

“What do you need me to do?” Kaitlyn smiled back, savouring the love sick puppy look that was now plastered on Scott’s face.

“I really want this to surprise Tessa” Scott started to explain.

“Yeah, I think you’ve got that covered”   
Scott ignored Kaitlyn’s sarcasm and carried on.

“ I’m going to let her believe that we are staying here with you and Andrew, and then make her go out for a walk with me, I’ve hired a truck and I’ll park it a little way down the road. I need you to pack a bag for her for the trip.” 

“No problem” Kaitlyn smiled, happy to help her friends, and also knowing that as close as they were and as much as she trusted him to know her, Tessa wouldn’t want Scott having full responsibility for packing her bag for the weekend. “You keep her out of your room and I’ll get it ready tomorrow morning.”

“Great” Scott smiled “and then you distract her whilst I put it in the truck”

***  
By 10am the following morning the bus had emptied out, leaving only Andrew and Kaitlyn and Tess and Scott. Tessa, thankful of the chance to lie in, had only recently emerged from the bedroom and was heading towards the kitchen for breakfast. As soon as Scott and Kaitlyn saw her pass (they knew better than to expect a ‘good morning’ from a de-caffeinated Tessa) they swapped glances and Kaitlyn moved swiftly towards the bedroom, leaving Scott to keep Tessa occupied during breakfast. 

Kaitlyn quickly found a small overnight bag that would be suitable for Tessa to take. Then she started looking through her friend’s suitcase for items to put in it. She could see from Scott’s unusually tidy case that he had already packed his bag for their get away. Tessa’s case, of course, was perfectly organised, with packing cubes holding her underwear and toiletries. The rest of her casual clothes were hanging in the room’s wardrobe. Kaitlyn picked out a few casual tops that she knew Tessa liked to wear, followed by jeans, sweat pants and her current favourite leggings - trousers to cover every mood and eventuality. She added a warm jacket, two jumpers, gloves, a scarf and a hat. Then she looked at Tessa’s toiletries, packing her face wash and moisturiser. She didn’t bother with make up or straighteners - she knew Tessa didn’t like to bother when she was relaxing and not performing or being interviewed. Looking through her underwear she added some practical items and a few she figured Tess had packed for Scott’s benefit anyway! The bag sat packed in front of her and she wondered whether there was anything else she should add. With a smile she delved deeper into Tessa’s case and found a toiletry bag containing tampons, her packet of contraception pills and a few lose condoms. She threw them all into the bag - she didn’t know what her friend’s situation was at the moment, so best to cover all bases! Then, with a smile she grabbed a pen from the bedside table and left a note on the pill box:

Pubes, boobs and babies. She scrawled with a smile before tossing the box into the bag and smiling at the laugh she knew Tessa would let out when she saw her note. 

With the bag all packed she crept over to the door and slowly opened it - no sign of life. She made her way to the door of the bus and opened it gently before depositing the bag by the bottom step ready for Scott to pick up and take to the car that was parked further down the road. She shut the bus door quietly and headed back towards the lounge. Only Andrew was there.

“I don’t know what those two are up to in the kitchen” Andrew smiled “but you may want to knock before you go in” Andrew’s smile echoed the joy he felt when Kaitlyn had told him about Tessa and Scott - he was genuinely happy for his friends, just like Kaitlyn was. 

Kaitlyn approached the kitchen and cleared her throat, knowing that Scott would be listening out for her. When she entered she saw Tessa sitting at the table reading, and finishing a cup of coffee, and Scott making pancakes. 

“This all looks very domestic” Kaitlyn smiled as she walked in. 

Tessa’s cheeks pinked at her comment, but the coffee had given her life and her quip was quick:  
“Sorry, what’s that on your finger, Kait?” She said without even looking up. Tessa’s response drew a snigger from Scott. 

“Scott, Andrew asked me to get you to help him with backing the bus up a bit” Kaitlyn said breezily “Trevor parked it before he left, but Andrew seems to think it could do with being moved”

Scott took his cue to leave, knowing full well that their driver, Trevor, had parked he bus perfectly, but liking Kaitlyn’s play.

“No worries” Scott said as he stepped away from the hob “Tess, can you take over with the pancakes” he tried to keep his tone casual.

Tessa’s eyes popped out on stalks - he wanted her to cook the pancakes? Actually do something with them?

Kaitlyn saw Tessa’s response and loved how perfectly their plan had worked.

“Come on” Kaitlyn beckoned “pancake making lesson coming your way” and with that she and Tessa headed towards the hob and Scott made a quick exit in order to take Tessa’s bag to the car he had hired and had dropped off just down the road from the bus. 

By the time he got back there was a stack of pancakes on the table in the lounge accompanied by a stack of plates. Kaitlyn, Andrew and Tessa were already tucking in and he grabbed a plate and joined them. 

“Great pancakes” he smiled towards Tessa.

“Kaitlyn made them” she smiled.

“I’d try to protest” Kaitlyn smiled “but I did, Tessa watched very carefully, though”

“I did” Tessa smiled back.

Once the pancakes were eaten Scott took his chance to suggest a walk - he only had to hope that Tessa took the bait and agreed! 

“ Anyone fancy walking off breakfast?” He did his best to sound casual, putting his arms above his head as he spoke.

“ Not sure my ankle is up to it yet” Kaitlyn offered. 

“Not sure my stomach is up to it” Andrew played along as he patted his pancake filled stomach. 

They all waited on Tessa’s response. Scott was worried she’d want to stay with Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn felt sure she’d not let Scott walk alone. Andrew, however, took matters into his own hands and made sure she gave the response they all needed. 

“Your poor ankle” he smouldered at Kaitlyn as he moved closer to her and ran his hand down her leg before pressing a kiss to her neck - a Virtue/Moir move that had made everyone else feel they were intruding! 

“I’d love to” Tessa quickly agreed, wanting to get out of the situation her friends were currently creating. “I’ll just grab my shoes” 

As she left the room to get her trainers on, Scott and Kaitlyn looked at each other and gave the thumbs up. 

“Have a good time, buddy” Andrew winked, a moment between boys; Scott grinned and Andrew received a slap on the arm courtesy of Kaitlyn. 

Scott rushed out of the room and towards the door of the bus.

“Ready?” He asked Tessa as he looped his arm with hers and they started walking.

She smiled back at him, happy to be in his company and to be alone with him. She knew they couldn’t keep their arms linked for long and relished the opportunity to be at ease with him for a few moments. As they rounded the corner of the parking area and onto the public road she released his arm and shoved her hands into the pockets of the hoodie she was wearing. Scott did the same, but in his pocket were the keys for the car that was parked in the lay-by in front of them. He pressed the unlock button and the car’s lights blinked a few times, accompanied by a beeping noise. He sensed Tessa looking around to see who had unlocked the car and would now be approaching it. She looked slightly confused when the road appeared empty before her. As they reached the car Scott skipped ahead and grabbed the handle of the passenger side door.

“Get in” he smiled at her as he stood there beside the open door.

“What? Scott?” Her face was filled with confusion. 

“Get into the car, Tess” he smiled in response.   
She did as she was told and he shut the door before skipping round to the driver’s side and slipping into the seat beside her with a satisfied smile on his face. Before she could raise another question he leant over the centre console and place a short and sweet kiss on her lips.

“We’re going away for a few days” he smiled “just you and me”

She beamed back at him, feeling a rush of excitement and love run through her chest. She returned his kiss, buckled her belt and smiled at him.   
Scott started the car and pulled out onto the road. He had a feeling this was going to be an amazing few days off!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments mean so much, thank you. I am all about love, kindness and gratitude - after a long and painful journey of realisation! - so connections really do mean a lot to me!


	9. Silent Depths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the product of my flight from America to the U.K.

“Scott, where are we going?” Once inside the car Tessa was overcome with a mix of excitement and anxiety. 

“We’re going away for a few days” Scott told her, knowing that she needs time to allow the situation to sink in.

“I haven’t got any of my stuff” she exclaims.

“Relax. I have planned this properly, T! You have a bag in the back with everything you need.”

“You packed my bag?”

“Kaitlyn packed your bag”

“Kaitlyn was in on this?”

“And Andrew”

“You were all involved?” Her tone was one of shock and gratitude, laced with the disbelief that her friends had all gone to so much trouble on her behalf.

“I wanted to do something nice for us and I needed help from Andrew and Kait - they were more than happy to oblige” Scott smiled as he lay a hand on her thigh. 

“That’s really sweet” Tessa beamed “thank you” 

“Hmm, hold that ‘thank you’ until you see where we’re going”

Tessa’s head swivelled and her eyes met his “Scooott?”

“Don’t worry” he grinned in response “we’re going to have a great time. Just sit back and relax.” He plugged his phone into the car’s sound system and looked back at her “and car karaoke is a non-negotiable” he smiled.

***  
“Scott, are you sure this is the right turning?” Tessa’s tone was questioning, understandably; they had stopped alongside a rough track that led into a forest. The trees stood tall and thick in front of them, sentinels maintaining the isolation that lay beyond. But this was an isolation that Scott had planned for, that he desired for the next few days, and, unlike Tess, he was more than happy to see the rugged track that would lead them towards it. 

“I’m sure” he smiled as he patted her knee gently in order to reassure her “trust me?”

“Always” she responded with a smile that injected a lightness into the conversation and told him that it was a question he never needed to ask. 

Scott smiled and pulled the car onto the track. The ground beneath the wheels was bumpy and uneven to begin with and Scott drove with care, although he knew that the vehicle could more than cope - the guy at the car hire place had insisted on making the vehicle available once he understood where Scott was headed.

After about a mile the track became a little smoother and Scott felt Tessa relax beside him. They drove through the trees and marvelled at the way the dying rays of sunlight created shafts of light between the canopy of leaves above them. 

“It’s pretty out here in a way I didn’t expect” Tess mused.

“That’s because you always see beauty in everything, T.” Scott smiled. There was a pause “I love that about you”

There was something about the cover of the trees, the falling dusk and the silence that unfurled the layers that wrapped their hearts. It was as if the isolation provided them with their own world, where feelings could live beside them, in the open, protected by the space they were in. 

The track eventually turned into a small clearing in the trees and, as if from nowhere, a small log cabin appeared. Its structure was made from dark, smoothed timber logs and its roof of red metal sheeting. Patches of snow clung to the underside of the two small windows and around the roof’s edge. A small front porch, big enough to hold two pairs of muddy shoes, cradled a small, wooden front door on which hung a small bunch of dried flowers. 

Scott felt Tessa inhale beside him and he knew he had made the right decision is renting this ‘pile of sticks’.

“Cool, eh?” He smiled

“It looks amazing” Tessa smiled back as they parked up. 

As they got out of the car, Scott met her at the car’s bonnet and took her hands in his.

“I’m really looking forward to this” he smiled.

“Me too” she replied “now I know it’s happening!”

They exchanged a quick kiss before entwining fingers and heading for the front door. Scott reached beneath a flower pot and found the key, as per the owner’s instructions. As they pushed the door open and stepped inside they were greeted by the scent of lavender in the air. The cottage was small, made up of just two rooms - an open plan living area, and a bathroom. The ceiling was low and had natural wood beams running its length and width. To the left was a small kitchen with two counters and a small breakfast bar that acted as a divider between the kitchen and lounge. To the right was a bookcase and a two seater sofa that could be transformed into a bed. It was positioned at an angle to the far wall of the room. On the far wall was a large fire place that housed logs for a natural fire. On the floor in front of the fire was a soft rug on which stood two wing-backed chairs and a small table. The bathroom, which was just off the main room, was decorated with rustic colours and more dried flowers.  
Tess had little to say to begin with as she stood and drank in her surroundings.

“It’s perfect” her voice almost a whisper as it passed her smiling lips. 

Scott put an arm around her waist and pulled her into his body. He didn’t need to say anything, his touch was enough to tell her that he was feeling the same; that he felt the world slow and his heart rest as he breathed in the room’s beauty and simplicity. 

On the kitchen counter stood a bottle of red wine and two glasses, along with a note from the cabin’s owner that wished them a pleasant stay. 

“You open the wine and I’ll fetch the bags” Scott smiled as he placed a kiss on Tessa’s head and made his way back to the car. 

As Tessa poured the wine she felt time open up in front of her, or rather she felt it stop in front of her, lying there, waiting to be filled with nothing but Scott and this beautiful escape in the woods. 

***  
“The water heats from an oil reserve at the back of the cottage, but the tank is small, so a joint shower is going to be the best idea” Scott said as he wrapped his arms around himself after shutting the door that led out to a small back garden. 

Tessa was curled up on her chair, sipping the remnants of wine from her glass.

“The best idea?” She smirked “or your idea?”

Scott crossed the room smiling. He approached her chair and squatted down on his haunches in front of her, placing a playful kiss on one of her knees.

“Got to think environmentally out here, T” he smiled as his hand rested just above her knee.

“Environmentally” she grinned back at him, loving the control she had over him in that moment. She knew as well as he did that she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to share a shower, it was one of their favourite things to do, not just because of the nakedness and the sex that usually came with it, but because it was something that they only shared with each other, a place no one else had access to, a time and space that they never had to share. She also loved how a morning shower with Scott would stay with her all day. No matter what they were doing, how much she had to resist touching him, kissing him, she could stop for a moment and feel his warm, soft hands on her skin, his fingers running shampoo through her hair, his body closer to hers than she’d ever let anyone before him get. 

“Well, if it’s in the name of saving the planet...” she grinned as she reached over and placed her empty wine glass on the table. Before she could sit back in her chair Scott made his move and scooped her up into his arms. She let out a surprised yelp, followed by a giggle. Scott carried her to the bathroom and placed her on the floor before turning the shower on and shedding his clothes. He stepped tentatively into the shower, testing the water once more before fully committing himself. The shower was placed over an old fashioned bath, and as it was not electric and therefore not as powerful as modern showers, the stream of water was weak and direct. He shivered a little and backed into the water’s stream. He reached out from behind the thick shower curtain and took Tessa’s hand as she stepped towards him. She hopped over the side of the bath and joined him, giving a shiver of her own.

“Come closer” he pulled her towards him until their bodies were touching “we have to share” he smiled, making sure that she was under the warmth of the water. She pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him, eliminating any remaining air between them. 

“Not quite like the one at my house” she smiled as she thought of the shower in her en-suite bathroom, which was a walk in and had plenty of room for two - as they had repeatedly proven.  
Her mind floated back to the first shower they shared. 

 

_Tessa smiled at herself as she allowed the shower’s stream of water to cascade down her back. She was determined to be the one up and showered first for once! She squirted a small amount of shampoo into the palm of her hand and started to lather it through her hair. Perhaps it was the sound of the water falling, perhaps it was the lyrics from ‘Come What May’ that she was humming, or perhaps it was just the fact that his presence in her house was something that she was not yet fully tuned into, but she certainly didn’t hear Scott enter the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He slid the shower door open slowly and stepped inside the warm bubble she had created. He spoke lightly as he stood behind her and threaded his arms around her._

_“Morning, early bird” he whispered as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. He felt her stiffen in his arms slightly. He knew this was another first for them, and he hadn’t entered lightly. They’d had a great evening at her house together just chatting and kissing before ending the the night with a drawn out exploration of each other’s bodies and exhausting sex that bordered on being rough with passion. He knew that this was a personal space for her and that she may not be ready to give it up to him yet. He moved his hands to her hair and started to massage the shampoo into her scalp. She moved her hands and allowed him the task._

_“Is it ok that I’m here?” He asked._

_“Yeah” she responded simply as her hands came round to stroke the back of his thighs._

_He continued to wash her hair, enjoying the feeling of it as it travelled through his fingers. She passed him the bottle of conditioner and squeezed a small amount onto her own hands before replacing it. His hands worked the conditioner slowly through her hair. Her hands lathered the conditioner into the hair on the back of his thighs. She felt him stir against her, pushing against the back of her leg. She allowed her hands to travel further, meeting the soft skin of his buttocks, she rubbed circles there and felt him push against her lightly. He washed the conditioner from her hair, ensuring that all of the lather was removed and her brown hair shone brightly with the moisture that clung to it. She turned slowly around and planted a kiss on her lips before silently crouching to knees, trailing her finger tips down his body as she went. Scott’s head rolled back as he realised her intention. He wanted to tell her that he had not come into the the shower for this, that he had not expected anything from her, but he also knew that Tessa was her own woman and never did anything she didn’t want to. He also knew that telling her she didn’t have to go down on him would offend her - she didn’t like being treated like an innocent and fragile girl. His hands travelled to the hair he had so diligently washed and he felt it writhe through his fingers as he laid his hands on her head, not pushing her, not guiding her, just feeling her there, her mouth making his eyes roll and his breath short._

She’d loved how he’d let her take control that morning in the shower, submitting to her, trusting her and allowing himself to be weak and open and vulnerable with her. 

“You’re getting cold” Scott rubbed her shoulders where there were goose bumps appearing “finish warming up whilst I light the fire” he kissed her cheek and left her under the jet of water as he headed into the lounge.

***  
The shower didn’t do much to warm Tessa up as the hot water started to fade not long after Scott left her. She wrapped herself in a towel and headed into the living area. As soon as she opened the bathroom door she felt the wave of warmth from the fire hit her bare shoulders. The deep and musky scent of wood burning filled the room and created a warm and homely atmosphere. Scott had dimmed the oil lamps to allow the flickering fire to show is brilliant, dancing light. As she stepped fully into the room, Tessa could see that Scott had taken the cushions and pillows from around the room, combined them with blankets and throws and arranged them in front of the fire. He was lying, his naked skin now dry and smooth, in the cocoon he’d made for them. His eyes lit up when he saw her enter the room and he used his deep hazel eyes to beckon her over. She walked over to him, shed her towel and lay down beside him, enjoying the feel of his soft, warm skin against hers. The warmth from the fire started to seep into her damp skin. Scott pulled her closer, tangling their legs together until they were on their sides and face to face. There was a beautiful silence between them that was filled by the crack and spit of the fire. Their lips met slowly and sensuously, their tongues meeting slowly, dancing delicately together as if their joining had been another piece of perfectly crafted choreography. This dance was not planned, it was not drawn up and rehearsed and improved, it was the most natural dance they’d ever performed because it came from the rhythm of their beating hearts. Their soft warm hands travelled the length of one another’s bodies, relishing the sleek and warm skin that lay beneath soft finger tips. Scott kissed her closely, deeply before rolling over and above her, lying her flat against the cushions and positioning himself between her parted legs. The silence continued, the only communication happening through their bodies, through their eyes. Scott leant down, embracing her lips in hers and she responded, dragging her fingers through his hair and running her nails over his shoulder blades. He transferred his weight to his elbows and slowly entered her, both of them savouring the feelings that shot between them. Tessa saw his bottom lip loosen and shudder as he drank in the pleasure. She bit at her bottom lip and arched slightly, her head rolling back, eyes closing. Once she could breathe again she brought her eyes to meet his and they began to move together, his hips dipping, hers rising to meet his and as they continued it was the other’s pleasure they were chasing, wanting to slowly send each other crashing over the edge. Their breathing became uneven, their eyes opening and closing as they moved against each other. Usually they would joke, laugh, tease, but this was different, it was silent, and deep, and sensual. Their breathing quickened as they both reached their limit, mouths open, panting slowly, Scott lowered himself once more, closing the space between them and bringing his lips to her ear. As they came, waves rolling through their bodies, he whispered in her ear:

“I love you, T”

They lay there, bodies entwined, coming back to their senses. As soon as she could form words, Tessa placed a kiss on Scott’s head and whispered into his hair.

“I love you too”

They slept tangled together beneath the blankets as the fire died down.

If anyone had happened to be passing by the woods that night, if they had happened along the cottage with the red metal roof, and if they had happened to look through the window into the flickering fire light they would not have seen two Olympians, two celebrities, two athletes, or two skaters, they would have seen two human beings perfectly slotted together, sharing a pure and uninhibited love. 

***  
Tessa felt the morning dawn slowly on her face as she emerged from beneath the blanket. She instinctively reached for the warm body that usually lay next to her. She felt only the warm patch that Scott had vacated. Her sense of smell awoke as the aroma of pancakes drifted from the kitchen. She rolled onto her front and opened her eyes. There he was, only his boxer shorts as clothing, stood in front of the tiny stove cooking breakfast. She remained still and quiet, enjoying being able to sit and watch him as he moved his hips to a song that was playing only in his mind.

“Morning” he smiled without even turning around, knowing that she was awake and looking at him.

“How did you know I was awake?” She smiled. 

“Well, I knew the pancakes would wake you up and my gorgeous butt would make you stare” he wiggled it for her, making her giggle.

“Nah,” she smiled as she got up and headed towards him “it’s all totally about the pancakes” she giggled as she placed a kiss on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. Unlike Scott, she hadn’t stopped to put on any clothes and he leant back into the soft skin of her chest. 

“Thanks for last night” her words dripped into his ear. They took him by surprise. She had never thanked him for sex before, obviously she had shown her appreciation, told him how good he made her feel as he lavished her body with attention. But, to thank him, it was almost strange to him.

“You don’t have to thank me, T” he smiled.

“I know” she said breezily “but it was nice, and made me feel happy and I am grateful, so I want to tell you that, want to thank you” she kept her tone light.

“I liked it too” he smiled back, trying to match her tone, knowing that her words required her to come out of her shell a little, to allow herself to expose her emotions, and in a place she knew she could not run, and he wanted to recognise that and return it without making it a ‘big thing’.

“Where did you get the ingredients to make pancakes!” She asked as she found plates and cutlery. 

“I brought it from the bus” Scott smiled.

“You really have thought of everything” she smiled.

“Well, Kaitlyn may have been a little help on that one, too” he admitted “although the coffee that’s brewing over there was all me - this is meant to be a romantic getaway, don’t want it to turn into a ‘cabin-in-the-woods horror movie!” 

They sat at the breakfast bar and enjoyed their breakfast. 

They spent the day lazily, snuggled on the sofa, Tessa reading, Scott content to lie back and play with the tendrils of her hair that fell loosely around her shoulders and listen as she read to him when she found something exciting, beautiful, or relevant to them. They both snoozed on and off, enjoying their life together and without their phones, work and responsibilities. The day wore on to the afternoon and soon the dusky early evening hovered outside. The evening sat there as perfect as the day had, opening up before them and the new found depths their relationship that they were slowly discovering. The thin, light of the evening cooled around them.

“I saw a fire pit outside” Scott stated, his voice happy and relaxed “I’m going to light it and we can lie out and search for stars”

Tessa watched him leave. She reached for her bag and went in search of warm clothes. She carefully emptied the bag’s contents onto the sofa, marvelling at how well Kaitlyn had packed for her - she owed Kaitlyn a lot of thanks when she got back! She found her thick jumper, a scarf, hat and gloves. She unpacked her toiletries and found a stick of limp balm- perfect for the cold weather.

“Good idea, Virtch” Scott smiled as he re-entered the room, bringing a gust of cold air in with him “it’s freezing out there” He proceeded to search through his own bag for the warm clothes that he had packed. Unlike Tessa’s bag, his was a bit more ‘freeform’ in terms of organisation. He tipped its contents onto the sofa, sending Tessa’s open toiletry bag crashing to the floor and spilling its contents. He looked down at the destruction, his eyes fell on the condoms that we’re now lying on the floor. 

“Please don’t tell me Kaitlyn packed you condoms” his eyes widened.

“Of course she did” Tessa smiled “you told her we were going away to a secluded cabin in the woods, she is a grown up Scott, she does know what we’re likely to be getting up to”

Scott blushed a little. 

“But we don’t need them, right?” Scott’s blush turned into anxiety “I mean you said... we stopped using...”

“Scott, relax” Tessa smiled - there weren’t many things that embarrassed Scott and made him blush, but clearly contraception was one of them!

“Scott, I’m on the pill, it’s fine” Tessa smiled as she fished the box of pills from the wreckage on the floor and held them up towards him “see!”Scott looked at the box and his eyes instantly fell on Kaitlyn’s message.

“What does that mean?” He pointed at the box.

“What?” Tessa questioned as she turned the box in her hand so that she was looking at the side Scott was referring to.

Pubes. Boobs. Babies.

She smiled at Kaitlyn’s note. 

“Oh, it’s a silly thing Kait and I say to each other - the holy sacrifice, you know, the three things female skaters have to sacrifice.”

Scott wasn’t sure whether the pain that shot through his chest showed on his face, and, if it did, whether Tess saw it, but he certainly knew he didn’t like how it felt and needed to move to drive it backwards. 

“I best get back to the fire” he stated as he grabbed his jumper and gloves from his pile of clothes “don’t be long”

“I’m on my way” Tessa smiled as she knelt down to clean up the mess.  
***  
“Just stay focused on one spot and you’re bound to see one” Scott was leaning back against the side of the cottage, a cushion propped up behind him. Tessa was sat between his bent and open legs, her back against his chest. They were wrapped in a warm woollen blanket and donned hats and gloves. The fire pit was aflame infront of them, keeping them warm. 

“I try that, and wherever I look it happens somewhere else” Tessa observed with a giggle - she was sure the shooting stars were deliberately alluding her!

“There” Scott said quickly, pointing his finger and turning Tessa’s body to face the direction of the dying star as it trailed dust across the inky night sky. 

“Wow” Tessa responded as she watched nature’s light show “nature is so amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever feel I’ve seen enough”

“I know,” agreed Scott quietly. They sat there quietly, wrapped in the warmth of the blanket and each other, and watching the sky above them. 

“Tess?” Scott’s voice broke the silence.

“Mmm?” Her response was lazy and relaxed. It almost put Scott off asking his question, but it couldn’t allow it to race around his mind any longer, and they had agreed to talk, always, about anything that was troubling them.

“Can I ask you about what Kaitlyn wrote on your box?”

Tessa knew full well that he was going to bring up Kaitlyn’s message sooner or later, she figured it must have been really playing on his mind for him to bring it up so soon.

“It’s a joke” she started, she wasn’t going to make him ask for the specific information he was after, she didn’t like to see him uncomfortable or unsure “but it’s borne of the things we’ve been through, as female athletes. The pubes are pretty self-explanatory...”

Scott thinks back to the first time Tessa had, had to wax. She’d been 14, maybe 15 . They hadn’t spoken about it, but he knew where she’d been during the afternoon. He knocked on her bedroom door, inviting her out with the other skaters, and she’d declined saying she had stomach ache and wanted to stay in. He didn’t question her, didn’t push her, just took her at her word and told her he’d see her the next day. He knew she was fine, that she wasn’t ill, that nothing bad had happened to her, and that it was something all female skaters had to deal with during their careers, but he also understood and appreciated how uncomfortable Tessa must have felt. He dropped by to check on her on his way back to his own room that night, pushing her door open quietly and squinting into the darkness. He saw her sleeping and tip-toed over to her bed and slid some contraband candy beneath her pillow, and crept out of her room and back to his own. They never spoke of it, but the next day, at the rink, in a quiet moment, Tessa took his hand and ran a few small circles around the knuckle of his thumb, saying her silent thank you.

“Do you remember leaving candy under my pillow?” She asked, and she felt Scott smile behind her.

“We’ve never spoken about that” he replied.

“I felt so special and cared for when I woke up” she explained “Scott Moir, loud and brash, and unbelievably soft!”

“Yeah, good job you didn’t tell anyone” he sighed “that Scott would have totally denied it”

“So true” she giggled “but, you understood, you got it, and back then it wasn’t about the pain, I mean, it’s not really that bad, not after the first time is over; it was more the humiliation. I mean it’s not the most elegant of things to have to go through” she smiled “and I was hardly in love with my body at that age, anyway. And of course, Kaitlyn went through the same thing, all the girls did. And when we got older the laser hair removal was a gift, but it’s still something we had to do because of our sport”

“I understand” Scott said simply.

“And the boobs, well, that’s pretty self-explanatory too” and a hint of resignation laced her voice.

Scott knew it was an area of her body that she had struggled with when they were younger, and despite the fact that all the skating girls around her were in the same situation, he knew that she still felt self-conscious. Of course, training in the way she had, building the muscle she needed to skate, had sculpted her body in a different way to other women’s, but when she was in her late teens he worried so much about her weight and her desire to be as thin as possible. He hated the pressure she was under, from Marina, from the cameras, and from herself. He used to watch her as she pushed food around her plate, filled up on coffee to suppress her appetite and the hazy look in her eyes when she pushed herself in the gym without the fuel her body needed. She hadn’t spoken to him about it, not properly, not clearly, until the counselling they’d had during the comeback, and it was then that he became passionate about ensuring that women in his sport were supported in the right way, in all the ways they needed, and he knew in the future, as a coach he wanted to make sure that, that was one of his priorities. 

“You know I love your body” he soothed “it’s perfect. These are perfect” he slid his hands up beneath the blanket to rest on her chest.

“I know” she said quietly “and I am more comfortable with my body than I’ve ever been, but as a young woman, on show, in costumes you want to look perfect, it’s tough”

A silence hung between them for a second.

“And now the thing you’re really asking about” she said quietly. 

She felt Scott shift behind her.

“I know you’ve been more open about it lately,Scott, by which I mean you’ve said it at every opportunity you’ve been offered” she teased “but I’ve always known how important family is to you and how, once we stopped skating competitively, it would be high on your agenda” 

They both knew this conversation had been waiting on the road somewhere, and in the spirit of taking things slowly and letting their relationship progress as it pleased, they hadn’t forced it, but now seemed like a good a time as any.

“And you?” Scott hoped that the question didn’t leave his lips with the quiver he felt run through his chest as he asked it.

“When we were younger, training with Marina, she used to remind us of what was at stake. She never let us girls forget it, and the warnings, they were real and they made us scared. A career ended by one foolish night. A drunken roll in the hay, and a reputation tarnished. And it wasn’t enough for her if you just got an abortion, if she found out, it was like you were damaged goods. Babies were our nemesis as far as we were concerned - something to stay away from, avoid at all costs. And then as I got older and I realised that babies aren’t always just the product of an ill-fated hook up, but actually something that are a real part of real grown up life, I knew they weren’t for me, because my life wasn’t normal. A family, being pregnant, looking after a child, that all happened in other people’s lives, not mine. My life was medals and performance and pushing harder, further, faster.” 

“Was?” He knows his mind is searching for anything, how ever small, to cling on to. Of all the things she’s just said, it’s the past tense he hears. 

“Now my life is changing again” she explained “now I’m not a competitive skater anymore. I’m a show skater, a brand ambassador, and ... well, that’s all I know.”

Another silence lingered. 

“Other than that I’m your partner” she added quietly “I know that I’m your partner now more than any other time, and in more than any other way than every other moment of our lives. I know that I want to continue being your partner, that I want to spend every moment of my life beside you.”

“But you don’t know how that’s going to look” Scott concluded for her “life, I mean, you don’t know how life is going to look and whether it has kids in it, our kids”

“Because I can’t see,Scott” she explained “because you’re asking me to imagine a life I can’t picture. I can’t tell you that I want something when I don’t know what that something even is, not really. I mean I can see the Sunday afternoons in the park, the birthday parties with our family around us, but I can’t see my life in it all, where I fit into it all, as a person” 

Scott turned her to face him, wanting to look into her eyes as he spoke to her, wanting to show her that he understood, and wanting to return the raw honesty she had given to him.

“I understand, Tess, I do” he assured her “but it’s different for me. When I close my eyes I see Sunday afternoons at the park, too, you and me lying on a blanket as we watch our kids tumbling around on the grass, a girl with your hair flowing behind her, my hazel eyes smiling back at us as she waves. I see our son stepping out onto the ice for the first time, tentative and careful, a hand in each of ours. And I do see you in the picture Tess, and you’re an amazing Mom and an amazing wife, but most of all you’re an amazing, strong woman, forging the life she wants for herself, in fashion, in TV, at the rink, in anything and everything you want to do. I don’t see a family as an alternative to life, T, I see it as our life together, enriching everything we’ve already done and already have” 

Tessa is stunned into silence - it was no secret that Scott wanted a family, he’d even neglected to consider the fact that there were steps leading up to having one that only they knew he was already taking! But he wasn’t just talking about having a family, he was talking about having their family, more than talking about it, he was imagining it, pulling it so close he could almost reach out and grasp it. She needed to be clear and be sorted about how she felt because the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Scott or to let him down.

“Scott, I need time” she said simply “and I’m certainly not expecting you to wait for me, I’d never ask that of you when I know how much this means to you. But I need to time to think about this fully, to get it straight in my mind”

Time. It was the one word he didn’t want to hear. Time didn’t mean a number of rotations around a clock face, it didn’t mean an agreed schedule or a date, it meant an undetermined expanse of space stretching ahead of him. 

“Ok... Tess, I...”

“We’ve got Tuesday off next week” her voice was soft, but he could tell from her tone that her need to organise was creeping in. “Let’s discuss it then, I’ll give you an answer then”

Scott felt a wave of nerves go through him .

“Scott, I’m not going to drag this out” she assured him “time literally means time in this case; I need time to think. But I’m not going to keep you hanging on” 

And that was the moment the realisation sank in for both of them - this was their deal breaker. If she said no, if she didn’t want a family, there was little else they could do, not much further they could travel.

“Scott,” it was Tessa’s turn to hope her trembling heart didn’t play on her lips “this is not a ‘no’, please understand that.”

“ I know, Tess” he smiled genuinely, but couldn’t help but think to himself _it’s not a ‘yes’, either._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :)


	10. Scrutiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has been a while - I fully blame the jet lag! Hoping to write weekly now - I know exactly where this is going and can't wait to write the ending!

“This colour ok?” Tessa asked. 

“Perfect” Kaitlyn replied as she looked down at her toe nails. 

The Dawson Creek show had gone well that evening and there was a relaxed air about the bus as they started their drive through the night and into the next day. Everyone was relaxing - Chiddy, Andrew, Scott and Elvis were playing video games in the lounge, Kaetlyn and Meghan were cooking, Eric was in his room on the telephone and Kaitlyn and Tessa were in Tessa and Scott’s room. 

“So, come on” Kaitlyn smiled as she sat back and watched Tessa apply the nail polish “you’ve barely told me anything about the romantic getaway!” 

“It was nice” Tessa replied, focusing on the polish she was applying. 

“Just nice?” 

“Really nice” 

“Judging by the underwear I found when I was packing I should think it was more than ‘nice’” Kaitlyn grinned. 

“It didn’t get used, actually” Tessa grinned back. 

“A naked weekend in the woods” Kaitlyn’s eyes widened. 

“It wasn’t like that” Tessa responded, and the tone in her voice told Kaitlyn that there was something Tessa hadn’t quite worked out about the events of the weekend. “It was different” Tessa added. 

“We’re talking about sex here?” Kaitlyn confirmed. 

Tessa blushed. 

“It was...it was so... we didn’t say a word, like we didn’t need to, and he was so slow and... but not like he was protecting me or trying to prolong it, like every moment of it existed on its own, and...” she stopped, pinking at what she was about to say next.   
“And as he...you know...as we...” she waved her hands around, trying to send the word to Kaitlyn through the air. Kaitlyn nodded, having received the message.   
“He told me he loved me” 

“Tessa Virtue” Kaitlyn smiled “you’ve not been having sex at all, you’ve been making luuurve” Kaitlyn grinned at her as she drew out the word, adding a soulful tone to it. 

“Shut up” Tessa grinned back as she dabbed a splodge of nail polish on the skin of Kaitlyn’s toe in retaliation. 

“It’s weird, all the things we’ve been through together over the years, and how well we know each other, it’s like now that we’ve started...whatever you want to call it, dating, a relationship. It’s as if we’re re-discovering each other all over again.” 

“I don’t think it’s so much a re-discovery, Tess, all the things you already knew and loved about each other are still the same, you’re just discovering new depths, different parts of each other, and given where you two were already at in your relationship, those depths were always going to be deep” 

Tessa let Kaitlyn’s words seep in. 

“Deep is a good way to describe where it ended” Tessa said as she painted Kaitlyn’s small toe nail and moved on to her other foot “we talked about babies, families” 

“Oh” Kaitlyn’s reply showed that Tessa did not need to explain any further “And?” she added seriously. 

“And, you know Scott, you know how important family is to him” Tessa shrugged her shoulders slightly as she spoke, all the time her attention on the nail varnish that she was carefully brushing onto Kaitlyn’s toe nails. 

“But not to you?” Kaitlyn tested. 

“It’s not that it’s not important” Tessa explained, as much to herself as to Kaitlyn “It’s just that it’s not important either. I mean, right now, it’s not important to me” 

“And do you think it ever will be?” Kaitlyn coaxed Tess towards her own thoughts. 

“I don’t know” Tessa replied “I mean, it’s never something that’s seemed real enough to think about” 

“I understand that” Kaitlyn said honestly; just like Tessa and Scott, she and Andrew had, had a discussion about their future family and she understood the confusion of emotion that came with the topic “and if you do let yourself think about it?” Kaitlyn pushed. 

“Well, that’s exactly what I need to do over the next couple of days” Tessa replied “and then we are going to talk about it again – I need to give him an answer.” 

“Scott gave you an ultimatum?” Kaitlyn did nothing to hide the shock in her voice. 

“No, of course not” Tessa replied “It was me, I gave myself the ultimatum; I don’t want to mess him around, Kait. This is such an important issue for him and I only want him to be happy” 

There was a silence that fell between the women then. After all the years of watching her friends fall in and out of love with each other, dance around each other and protect one another’s hearts as well as their own, it never occurred to Kaitlyn that Tessa and Scott weren’t destined to be together. Everyone around them could see that it was just a matter of time, that they would find their way to each other eventually, but no one ever really considered that once they were there, in front of each other, hearts open, that they wouldn’t slot together perfectly. 

“If it makes any difference” Kaitlyn began “when Andrew and I first talked about it, I didn’t know what to think either.” 

Tessa nodded silently. She had considered the fact that this was something that Kaitlyn and Andrew may have already covered in their relationship, but seeing as Kaitlyn had never spoken to her about it, she had thought that perhaps it was something Kaitlyn wasn’t yet ready to share. 

“I mean, it’s not as important to Andrew as it is to Scott” Kaitlyn continued “at least not at the moment, but we do see ourselves with a family in the future.” 

“You can see it?” Tessa asked. 

“Sure” Kaitlyn replied “not clearly, but I know that when we’ve stopped competing, when we’re done with being athletes, that I want to build a life that has a solid base and a predictability that I can come home to every night” 

“I just can’t imagine giving myself up” the words flew out of Tessa’s mouth before she had a chance to check them; she felt immediately selfish and vain “God, that sounds so shallow” 

“No, Tess, it sounds honest” Kaitlyn assured her “when you’re with Scott does it feel like you’re giving yourself up?” Kaitlyn asked “when it’s just the two of you and you’re not Olympic champions, when you’re not ‘Virtue and Moir’?” 

Tess smiled, “Not at all. It feels like...like we’re normal, I suppose, like we’re any other couple. It   
feels like nothing else matters and nothing else exists. And, even now, even though we’ve only been ‘together’ for a short while, it feels like it could last forever. When I am with him, I don’t need to think about who I am because I am just who I am in that moment, there, with him.” 

“And is that ok?” 

“I think so. I mean, it feels ok” 

“Does it need to do more than feel ok? Does it need to make sense on paper, on lines, in black and white, in a binder with a label and tick box?” 

“In a way” 

“This is not a competition, Tess, this is not a goal with an end date and check in points and graphs. You can’t watch this back and scrutinise every moment, this is your heart, it’s not going to work that way” 

“I don’t know how to work any other way” 

“because you’ve never had to.” Kaitlyn said with surety “this is new and it’s scary and it’s getting very real. You put yourself out there to get him, Tess, you made the moves, you are strong and you know what you want.” 

“Except whether I want kids” her head fell, she didn’t feel any closer to an answer now than she had been when she and Scott spoke about it at the cabin. 

“I’m going to go out on a limb here, Tess and say this isn’t about whether you want kids or not, it’s about whether you can let go enough, give up control enough, to even think about having them” 

Tessa was silent. A wave of nervous energy flowed through her as she digested Kaitlyn’s words and realised just how right her friend was – she was trying to make a decision with her head, and this was really a decision she needed to make with her heart. And, yes, she had already exposed her heart to Scott, she had found the courage to stand in front of him and tell him that nothing about them and what they had done had been a mistake, she had to find that courage again, but this time not to face Scott, but to face herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look forward to chatting with you in the comments :)


	11. Mother's Instinct

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super short one, but wanted it to stand alone as a moment.   
> Root for Tess - she's getting there!

Tessa sat looking out at the horizon as the dying sun smudged the line between the sky and the land beneath it. She pulled the cuffs of her hoodie down over her hands as winter’s wind touched her finger tips. She had never appreciated the winter’s beauty, preferring the petals and sun rays of summer. To her, summer meant time with the people she loved, a moment to breathe and to appreciate the mundanities of life – coffee sipped from a porcelain cup, warm croissants and, more than anything, time. Time to feel alive, and to reflect. But today, as she watched the dying sun’s amber threads unravel she realised that she had never had the time to appreciate the winter, to view it and experience it, and feel a part of its cosmic origins. She smiled at the irony of feeling life coming into focus as the day died and faded to darkness. It made her think about the other things in life that had passed her by, the small things that she had never had the time to notice. Did she really know what drying pavements smelt like? Had she ever watched a plant bud, grow and flower into its full beauty before giving itself up to the Earth’s rhythms? Her world had been so multitudinous, grand at times, intense, but it many ways it had also been narrow, sheltered and anything but ‘normal’. The florescent lighting that bounced off the scarred ice was her sunset, and she loved it, it made her feel alive, but it was also bound her and kept her from the natural thrum of life. She thought back over the summer she had just lived, the moments that were nothing to do with the ice – holidaying with Jordan and her mom, Scott’s birthday in Deer Valley, they were the moments that tugged at her now, those were moments in which she felt real and relaxed and herself. Fashion shoots, sponsor panels, interviews; they excited her, drove her need to be challenged, but curled up in Scott’s arms watching the sunset in Utah made her feel peaceful and safe and...whole. She put her chin in her hands as she watched the sun’s top curve waver in the distance – why did she always want it all? She wanted Scott and everything that a life with him entailed – a house, kids, a mini-van – but she couldn’t give up being ‘Tessa Virtue’. 

She reached into her pocket and slid her phone out – sometimes a girl just needs her mom. She placed her head on her hand as she pressed the call button. Perhaps her mom was expecting an update on the tour, a call to plan their time in London when the tour visited, or maybe even a tired and emotional Tess – what she wasn’t expecting was a breathless outpouring of emotion that informed her that only was her daughter in a new relationship – that relationship, no less – but she was contemplating her entire future – children, career, relationship, some incoherent blather about a mini-van.... 

“Tess, slow down” Kate took her opportunity to speak as Tessa stopped for a sobbing breath “first of all, when did this happen with Scott?” 

“After Mexico” Tessa’s watery voice replied. 

“Tess, that was during the summer!” Kate couldn’t disguise the shock in her voice 

“I know, and I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kept it from you, I...” 

“Tess, I’m not bothered about you keeping it from me – you're a grown woman, you are allowed your own private life – but, you’ve been bottling emotion, and you know that is something you can’t do” 

“I know” 

“Well, I am glad you’re talking to me now” 

“Me too” the sobbing quietened to a relieved sniffle. 

“Now what’s this about children?” Kate already knew where this was going – could have predicted it even before Scott and Tessa finally got themselves together; it was no secret that Scott was a home bird, and Kate had seen him with his family and with his brother’s children. Her daughter, on the other hand, had been so focused on her career, on being an athlete, that she hadn’t allowed herself to even imagine another life. Her daughter’s laser focus was her strength as a competitor, but it was always bound to be a weakness in this situation. 

“Scott wants to have a family” Tessa replied simply “and I just...I don’t know, Mom, I don’t know if that’s something I want” 

“because you’re scared of what?” 

It was remarkable how well her mother knew her. In fact, Kate needed to ask the question for Tessa, not for herself; she was fully aware of what scared her daughter about becoming a mother. 

“Losing who I am” the honestly felt freeing as it left her lips. 

“And that would happen because?” 

“I’d be a mom and a wife” 

“And that stops you from being anything else?” 

There was silence on the line. Kate left Tessa with her thoughts for a moment. 

“Tess, I’m not going to pretend that I understand what it is like to live as a woman in the spotlight, to have to jump higher, fly faster, be more perfect than any man around you. I’m not going to pretend that I understand the scrutiny you’re under every time you post a picture, do a magazine interview, make a comment, but what I do understand is that with every moment you live you are becoming a stronger woman, and not only that, Tess, you are empowering women around you. Tess, what I am saying is that there is a choice to make here, but not the one you are contemplating. Tess, you can be everything you want to be – mom, wife, model, writer, skater, advocate... anything and you don’t have to define yourself in any way at all, you can be who you want to be, and be it all.” 

Kate’s words sank into her soul as the sun finished its descent. 

“Tess, your only choice is who you allow to share everything you are with you.”


	12. Ups and downs and everything inbetween

Tessa nibbled at the end of her pen as her eyes searched her laptop screen. After filtering through numerous apartments on AirBandB she had found the perfect candidate for her evening with Scott. It was no cabin in the woods, but it would lend itself nicely to the surprise she had in store for him. 

“Watcha up to?” Scott’s body plopped down beside her after his voice filled the room. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know” Tessa smiled as she shut the lid of her laptop and put it to one side, hoping that he had not seen anything of what was on her screen. 

“Teeessa” his voice was far louder than it needed to be “you don’t have to hide looking at porn, it’s a long hard road this tour.” 

She turned around to throw him a cutting reply and immediately saw the reason he had raised his voice. 

“Porn?” Eric smiled as he entered the lounge area, “a healthy past time, Tess” 

“I wasn’t...” Tessa’s cheeks began to heat and she knew that her blushing would do nothing to help her pledge of innocence. 

“The road certainly can be long and hard” Elvis added, which produced a snigger from Kaetlyn. 

“I don’t...” 

“I mean, this is no Canada House” Meaghan chimed in “we’re hardly going to accidentally happen upon an all Canadian orgy on the bus. Girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do” 

"You know, Trent has a really hot and really single friend I could set you up with” Kaetlyn offered casually “he’s a backing singer, and always travelling, so he’s not looking for anything serious, but apparently” Kaetlyn dropped her voice “he’s a-mazing, if you know what I mean” 

Kaitlyn coughed as she almost choked on the wine she was drinking “went down the wrong way” she smiled as the rest of the group turned to look at her. 

“Come here, I’ll show you a photo” Katelyn continued as she beckoned Tessa over to her spot on the other end of the sofa. 

“Thanks, Kaet” Tessa smiled, having recovered from the embarrassment that Scott had caused her, and started over towards Kaetlyn “could be just what I need” 

She landed on the sofa next to Kaetyln and tucked her legs beneath her as the two women moved closer, her gaze fell to the screen of Kaetlyn’s phone, but not before she shot Scott a sultry and teasing look. 

Chiddy couldn’t help but smirk – touché, Moir! 

Scott’s expression, however, was not as light. 

“He’s coming to our next show” Kaetlyn explained as she navigated to her photos “here he is” 

Tessa looked at the man on the phone screen – oh, it certainly wasn’t going to be difficult to pretend she liked the look of him, that was for sure. 

“Why is he...” she began to ask. 

“Oh, the pictures from a charity calendar he did – ‘Hunks in Trunks’” 

Kaetlyn scrolled to the next picture “this one’s from the outtakes” she informed Tessa. 

“Wow, is that a...?” 

“It is” Kaetlyn smirked as she and Tessa both got closer to the picture. 

“I’ll text you his number” Kaetlyn informed Tessa as she took her phone back from Tessa’s gaze and started to navigate to her address book. “One of my friends said that when she slept with him he made her...” 

“No” Scott couldn’t hold back any longer. 

The rest of the group turned to look at him 

“I mean...I don’t think we should...I mean on the tour...Tessa, you know how we said no distractions” Scott’s fingers were absent mindedly running through his hair. 

“That was during the Olympics, Scott” Andrew chipped in “you two should be, erm, ’relieving the stress’ to your heart’s content now, lots of time to be catching up on.” 

Tessa’s phone beeped as Kaetlyn’s message came through. 

“Thanks, Kaet” Tessa said with a smile before slipping her phone back into her jean pocket and settling back into the sofa “so, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” she asked to no one in particular “weren’t we going to watch a film?” 

Chiddy, Kaitlyn and Andrew glanced at each with grins on their faces, loving watching Tess playing Scott at his own game; they were all certain of two things – Scott had a lot of groveling to do and he would know better than to mess with Tess in the future! 

*** 

Tessa was already tucked up in bed by the time Scott made his way into their bedroom. She was lying against the headboard, wrapped in the blanket and scrolling through something on her phone. 

“What you lookin’ at?” Scott tried casually, knowing full well he was not in Tessa’s good books. 

“Half naked men” she replied without explanation. 

Scott pouted at her, making her look up towards him. He knew it was no use trying to talk his way out of what he had done earlier in the evening, so he went for the cute puppy dog approach that had served him so well in the past. He crawled onto the bed, bringing his pouting face in line with Tessa’s phone. 

“Not working” she declared, although she was barely able to keep a smile from breaking on her lips. 

“But look at me” Scott said in a teasing voice as he deepened the pout “I’m so cute” 

Tessa smiled at him then, unable to resist his charms. “Does that mean I am meant to forgive you for telling everyone I was looking at porn?” 

“Come on, you already got your own back” Scott smiled “you know how jealous even just the thought of another man touching you makes me” 

“Jealousy is a weakness, Moir” she smiled back at him. 

“No, you’re my weakness” he smiled back as he pushed her hands apart and crawled towards her, snaking his arms around her waist. 

“Hmm, is that right?” 

“I’m under your spell” he continued as his hands made their way beneath her top. 

“Any more pranks like that and you won’t be under anything” she warned him “ever” 

“No more teasing me about other men” he countered “you know it drives me mad” 

“I do” a big grin lit up her face “and I like it” she whispered to him as she eliminated the space between them and fell into his arms and his kiss. 

*** 

Tessa looked at her watch – two hours before Scott was due to arrive, that was surely more than enough time to plan dinner and set up the evening she had planned for them in the apartment she had rented. The owner, although only having been in touch briefly through Airbandb, had told Tessa to make herself at home and enjoy the comforts of the apartment. She laid the ingredients she’d gathered on the kitchen counter. Digging through the overnight bag she’d brought with her, she found her pen and notepad and placed it on the counter next to the broccoli. She scrolled through her phone to find the recipe she’d saved earlier in the week. She wrote the ingredients, amounts and instructions out carefully. She started the tomatoes roasting in the oven and headed to the bedroom to check it out. The room was tastefully decorated – a little too colourful and ‘busy’ for her simple style, but welcoming and functional all the same. The bed, with its wrought iron frame, was placed against the back wall and adorned with freshly laundered sheets and pillows. To the left of the bed was a door leading to the en suite bathroom. The shower and bath stood separately in the large room and the fresh towels gave off a flowery scent. Tessa was pleased with the choice she’d made and she knew the apartment would work perfectly for the evening she had planned with Scott. 

Back in lounge she looked through the bookshelves that stood each side of the fireplace. She recognised some of the more recent fiction titles. There was a shelf with books on parenting and raising toddlers, as well as a low shelf that housed board and picture books. Beneath the window on the far side of the room stood a chest filled with toys. There was everything a child could imagine – bright cars and trucks, a doll with long flowing hair and lots of wooden jigsaw puzzles. Tessa sat beside the chest and took the toys out one at a time, fingering carefully the ones that transported her to the past, and even more carefully the ones that allowed her a glimpse of the future. She found herself holding a small teddy bear wearing a bright red t-shirt and dungarees. She smiled, thinking about all the things the bear had likely seen and heard, how it had been a part of family life. The oven timer alerted her to her need to attend the roasting tomatoes. She put the bear down before heading to the kitchen, littering the room with the toys as she went. She stopped at the dining room table, which was positioned at the end of the lounge, and adjusted the fresh flowers she had set there 

 

A time check told her that Scott would be arriving in a little over and hour. The meal was almost complete, with final herbs, cheese and sauce to be added when she served it. She planned on a shower and a change of clothes before Scott arrived, so she was pleased to be on task and time. Before heading for the shower she headed to the hallway and grabbed a hoodie out of the bag she’d packed for Scott, and a jacket out of her own bag. She added a t-shirt from Scott’s bag and a scarf from her own. She deposited them in various places around the lounge and then headed for the shower. 

 

Tessa smoothed her hands down the front of her jeans, an automatic action, checking with herself that she looked ok, giving herself confidence. She had chosen a casual sweater to pair with jeans, she wore her hair loose but casual. She knew she never needed to dress up for Scott, that he loved her in whatever she wore, and when she wore nothing at all! Tonight it was important to her that she looked casual. 

His knock on the door was firm and strong. She used the hallway mirror to check herself for a final time before answering the door. Scott stood on the other side smiling at her. 

“Interesting location, T” he smiled at her. 

“Not quite a cabin in the woods” she responded. 

“It smells amazing in here” Scott commented, not even trying to hide the surprise in his tone, “have you been cooking?” 

“I have” Tessa responded, “and please notice the still-standing status of the house” 

“Impressive” he leaned in for a greeting kiss. 

Tessa returned his kiss and headed towards the kitchen, knowing he would follow her. 

Once in the kitchen she busied herself at the stove, stirring the fresh sauce she’d made and draining the pasta over the sink. She reached into the cupboard and got out the placemats and glasses. 

“Anything I can do to help?” Scott asked as he snaked his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her cheek. 

“If you could lay the table that would be great” she responded, hoping to sound casual. 

“Sure” he smiled as he grabbed the placemats she’d placed on the counter. Tessa watched him out of the corner of her eye and waited until he was headed towards the door that connected the kitchen and lounge before taking the pan she was stirring off the heat and quietly following a few steps behind him. She watched him approach the table and then stop in his tracks, taking in the scene in front of him. Even though she was behind him, she could feel the look of confusion on his face as his eyes scanned the room, picking up the sight of their clothes dotted around the room, toys spilling onto the floor and cushions ruffled on the sofa. Scott turned to head back into the kitchen with his questions. He found himself face to face with Tessa. 

“What’s...?” his eyes searched her face. 

She walked to him then, eyes smiling and placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him back towards the lounge. This time it was her hands that snaked around his waist and as she rested her chin on his shoulder. 

“See the cushions” she whispered into his ear “they’re the cushions you never straighten before you come to bed.” her fingers started to rub circles around the hands that were now intertwined with hers. “and the clothes, well, we both intend to put those away, but there always seems to be something more important going on, and, well, who minds a few clothes hanging around anyway? The TV there in the corner, that’s the TV we watch late at night, cuddled together on the sofa, a glass of wine each on that coffee table and the blanket on the chair over there draped across us in the winter.” 

She stopped to let him take in the scene before them, she could feel his breathing start to hitch and she knew that he understood what he was looking at, what she’d laid out before him. 

“And those toys” she began, her voice quiet and raspy in his ear “those are the toys we said we’d make the kids put away before they went to bed each night, but neither of us does because we get so much more out of watching them play until the last minute, their eyes heavy with sleep before we carry them to bed for a story” 

She felt his head drop then and she allowed him the freedom to turn around and face her. He rested his forehead on her chest, his emotion overwhelming him. After a moment he slowly lifted his head to meet her gaze and his glistening eyes found hers. 

“Tess?” was all he could manage. 

“Scott, I want all of this with you. I want the house, the home-cooked meals, the imperfection. And our kids.” 

He threw his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Tessa felt his body relax as he exhaled a breath that neither of them realised he was holding. She forced him from her, holding him by the shoulders and looking into his eyes. 

“I want everything with you, Scott. I want the skating, the coaching, my own business. But I want this too, I want the mundanity, the everyday and the joy of sharing every up and down and in between with you. I’m not saying I want children straight away, but I do want them, Scott, I want to wake up and hear them playing, I want to take them to the park, to the rink, to A and E when they break their bones and bump their heads. I want life with you, Scott, every moment of it. There is no one else in the whole world I can imagine having any of this with but you, and no one I’d ever want it with either. I love you, Scott and I am so excited about our future.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She did it!!


	13. Moir Moves

Kaitlyn and Tessa were sitting in seats next to the boards watching the guys practice their group number for the evening show. They had shortened their rehearsals lately because they now had the routines looking pretty slick, and the schedule was about to become even more full on than it had already been. Not to mention that each of them had various engagements in between shows – mostly photo shoots and appearances, but it all took energy and enthusiasm, and that could be somewhat exhausting. However, the previous evening the boys had come up with some new ideas for one of their group numbers and were using the ice time to try some stuff out. 

 

“Scott’s looking pretty happy after your night away” Kaitlyn commented as she and Tess watched the boys skating – although there was just as much fooling about going on skating! 

 

“We had a good evening” Tessa replied “worked things out” 

“Baby things?” 

“Yeah” 

“I’m guessing from his mood that you agreed to help him populate the planet with green eyed cuties, then?” Kaitlyn smiled at her friend. 

“I did” Tessa said in response to Kaitlyn’s joke “speaking to you and to my mom made me realise that I was looking at the situation back to front” Tessa explained “that having a family didn’t mean losing, but rather gaining. I mean, sure I’ll have to adapt, any life change requires that, but having a family doesn’t mean that I stop being a person in my own right – it just adds to who I am.” 

“That’s a really healthy way to look at it” Kaitlyn nodded “you don’t feel like you’d be giving yourself up anymore?” 

“No, I really don’t” Tessa replied honestly “I look at my mom and I see that being a mother and being a successful woman aren’t mutually exclusive. Sure, it takes work to get the right balance, but I think I can do that.” 

“Well, you’ll certainly have a good man beside you when you do” Kaitlyn commented as her smile was directed towards Scott, who was on the other side of the rink carrying Chiddy on his shoulders. 

“I hope they’re not thinking of putting that move into the show” Tessa giggled. 

“No, it looks like two rhinos trying to mate” Kaitlyn responded with a giggle of her own “I really am happy for you, Tess” Kaitlyn said with a voice filled with sincerity and care “everyone can see that you and Scott are made for each other, and I was a bit worried there, knowing that kids could be a deal breaker” 

“That’s not why I agreed to it, though” Tessa jumped in “just to keep Scott. I love him, and I want to be with him, but I would never make false promises” 

“I know,” Kaitlyn reassured her as she placed a hand on Tessa’s knee “and Scott would know if you were doing that Tess, and he wouldn’t let you go along with it, no matter how heart breaking it would be.” 

“I know” Tessa sighed “I know, I’m sorry, I just... Scott is always seen as the emotional and affectionate one, you know, and I am the ‘Ice Princess’...” 

“But people who know you know that’s not true” Kaitlyn cut her off “and they’re the only people who matter, right?” 

“Of course” Tessa agreed “it’s just, being under scrutiny, like we are as women all the time, on the ice – people never used to say things about Scott’s thighs or the fit of his clothes, and when he dated it was cute and endearing, and you know the things that flew around when I dared to...” 

“Scott gets the tortured soul image, I get it” Kaitlyn answered “but the people who understand you see past your body and your looks and what you portray on the ice” 

 

“I know” Tessa said in a resigned manner “and I wouldn’t change the life we’ve had, I really wouldn’t, it’s just that sometimes I don’t like sharing myself, and I like sharing Scott even less.” 

“Talking about me, Virtch?” Scott arrived at the boards, taking the girls by surprise. 

“What else would I be talking about?” Tessa teased back “you know you’re my whole existence” 

“Sassy, nice” Scott nodded with a grin “this your influence?” he nodded at Tessa as he turned on Kaitlyn. 

“You know what happens when two women get together Scott” Kaitlyn responded with a glint in her eye “we like to swap notes” 

“Oh” Scott’s face dropped in shock. He hadn’t thought about Kaitlyn and Tessa discussing such things. He blushed somewhat. 

“Blushing, Moir?” Kaitlyn smirked, sensing her advantage “I would be too” 

Scott’s eyes widened as he wondered what Tessa had divulged to Kaitlyn. He looked at Tessa, who was just about managing to maintain a teasing smile without bursting into laughter and giving the game away. 

“I should...” Scott mumbled “we’ve still got a few...” and off he skated, re-joining the boys. 

“That was cruel” Tessa laughed as she watched him retreat. 

“I know” Kaitlyn laughed with her “but I’m sure he’ll be ok with it when you make it up to him later” 

Tessa giggled and punched Kaitlyn on the arm, enjoying the new facet that they had found in their relationship. 

 

*** 

Scott looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He scrunched his nose and furrowed his brow, looking at the lines that settled on his forehead. He traced them with his finger, trying to smooth them out. He wondered when they had appeared, which missed step had etched each one. He looked at the corner of his eyes and the laughter lines that spread from each one. He turned his head to the side – he knew where most of those lines had come from: twenty years spent with Tessa and her wicked sense of humour was enough to give even the sternest of people laughter lines. 

“Hey grandpa” he felt arms encircle him and heat against his back. 

“How long have you been there?” he smiled into the mirror. 

“Long enough” Tessa smiled back at his reflection “long enough to see you worrying about those lines on your forehead” 

“I’m getting old” he smiled. 

“You’re getting wise” she smiled back “each of those is a learning line” 

“Learning lines” he chuckled as he lent down to wash his mouth clean of toothpaste “I like it” 

“And these” she smiled as she lifted her finger to trace the laughter lines he’d been inspecting “these show how much you just love to laugh at your own jokes” 

“My jokes” he giggled as he spun round to face her, pulling her into his body “I think you’ll find they are totally your fault, Virtch” 

“Well you didn’t find me that funny this morning when you thought Kaitlyn and I were talking about you” she had planned to bring the conversation up at some point, purely to assure him that she hadn’t divulged anything to Kaitlyn, and that they were only teasing him. 

“Well, I’m slightly worried about being compared to Andrew” Scott smiled “that guy looks like he has some moves” 

Tessa smiled at him bring her hands to rest on his shoulders “I’d say you’ve got some pretty smart moves of your own, Moir” she whispered against his ear, her voice low and dripping with intent. 

“Really?” Scott’s eyebrows rose as she came back to meet his eyes with hers “better than Andrew’s?” 

She laughed, Scott Moir, ever the competitor. 

“I wouldn’t know” she said with a smile “Kaitlyn and I weren’t really talking about you, we were just winding you up” 

Scott’s eyes widened in mock horror. 

“Just wanting to watch me squirm, eh?” he smiled as his fingers started towards Tessa’s stomach, his eyes wide. 

“No...Scott!” her voice was a screech as she saw his fingers coming in to tickle her. 

“Thought you liked my moves” he continued, bringing his hands ever closer, his fingers writhing and threatening. 

“Surrender, surrender” she tried their old childhood cue for calling a truce, but Scott was enjoying the moment far too much. He backed her all the way to the bathroom door, her back eventually hitting it and stopping any further escape. He moved into her, placing his hands either side of her body and against the door. He lent in slowly, making her breath quicken at the anticipation, wondering if he was going to kiss her or tickle her mercilessly. His face drew closer, nose to nose, her eyes wild with anticipation and impending doom. 

“Fancy testing out more of my moves?” he drawled into her ear. 

She let go off the breath she was holding and smiled at him before taking his hand and leading him out of the bathroom and towards their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up....  
> Scott has a question for Tessa, and Tessa has a question for Scott...


	14. Questions Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying a little something with tense here as they wake up. Don't know if it works fully for the reader, but felt right as a writer.

Scott woke up with the remnants of a dream floating around his mind. Since Tessa had become his girlfriend – that was still such as strange word for him; she meant so much more than any word could ever do justice – she was his everything, his home, his love and his future. He had smiled when she'd told him that she would have his children, when she laid out their future in front of him, but inside, in the depths of his being, where his heart beats to the sound her voice and the rhythm of her life, he felt his heart take flight – she was everything he had ever searched for, everything he had wanted and everything that he could ever hope to become. In his dreams, which were no longer sepia toned, but flashed with multitudinous colour, she was dressed in a feminine blouse that left a slice of her abdomen free to the wandering eye as it skirted the waist band of black jeans. She held their child’s hand in hers as they looked out at the sea, waves lapping the shore, tiny toes testing the water, waves lapping around his ankles as their happiness rings out into the space in front of them – the space that contains the time they have to together to fill. In his dreams Kate drapes an arm around his shoulder, whispering against the flesh of his ear, telling him to take care of her precious cargo. He promises that there is nothing in his life other than the woman who taught him how to love, how to laugh, how to be the best version of himself. 

“Morning” 

Her sweet words dragged him from his dreams, reminding him of the reality he lives each day. 

“Morning” he responds as he cuddles into her, savoring the moments he gets to have her to himself, like this, their moments, no sheen, no character – just the two of them, raw and real. 

“What were you dreaming about?” she asked. They are at a point in their relationship where she can be blunt with him; she can ask the questions that he wouldn’t let anyone else ask. 

“Nothing” he replies, unconvincingly. 

“Nothing at all?” she smiles into his hair as she kisses his scalp. She knows that he has been dreaming about their future, about weekends spent at the cottage, the smudges on the horizon now the outlines of their children running through the sand. She knows because the same children appear in her dreams, tugging at her hand, running through the lake’s lapping waves, faces smudged and hidden. 

“Us” he replies plainly “the future” 

“Green eyes or hazel?” she asks. 

“I can’t quite see” 

“Nor me” she admits “but they are going to be gorgeous, inside and out” 

That makes him smile, and it’s a smile reserved only for her, a smile that lives between bedsheets, a smile that he has never let anyone else see – not Kaitlyn or Jess or Cassandra – it's a smile that only Tess can paint on his lips. 

“Can I ask you something?” he ventures 

“Anything” she reassures him with a peck on the head. 

“How do you feel about telling our families about us?” his question is tentative, and he's ready for her answer to be that she doesn’t want to tell anyone yet. 

“Well” she nibbled at her bottom lip, something he knew she did when she was feeling uncertain. 

“We don’t have to, not yet” he reassured her, responding to her actions and her hesitation. 

“You know I’ve already told my mom, you know we spoke about motherhood, children...” 

“Yeah” he smiled. He was genuinely happy when she’d told him that she had sought Kate’s advice on having children – he knew that Kate had a way of speaking to her that cut through the haze that he and Tess could find themselves in sometimes. “and I’m glad you did. And don’t think I am asking because I feel that it’s unfair that your mom knows and mine doesn’t, it’s not about that” 

“No, I know that, Scott” she smiled at him. “I’ve really liked being able to talk to Kaitlyn and to my mom, it’s felt nice not having to hide it. I am just aware that once our families know they will be dragged even further into the life we chose. I’m just aware that whilst we have come to accept that we’re questioned, we’re photographed, we’re watched, our families haven’t chosen that and I don’t want their lives to feel the consequences of our decisions” 

“I understand” he smiled softly at her. She was always so protective of the people around her, those closest to them and she had spoken about not pulling people into something they hadn’t signed up for in the past. He knew that she didn’t want Jordan followed, pestered and questioned about her sister – she wanted Jordan to be Jordan, not Tessa Virtue’s sister. “I think that’s something we’ve dealt pretty well with in the past?” 

“Yeah, I suppose we have” she replied “but once our families know, we’re asking them to lie for us, and I’m just not comfortable with that.” 

They lay together silently for a moment, each with their own thoughts, wondering how to manage the situation. 

“There is another option” Scott said after a while. 

“I know” Tessa replied simply. 

“I might be the best way, Tess, rip off the band aid and all that” 

“It’s just knowing that as soon as everyone knows, once it’s public, we can never undo it, never take it back” 

“No, I know that, but after the initial excitement and fallout things will calm down and we can enjoy being us whenever we want. I don’t want to live a character off ice, constantly telling a story, I just want to be real with you, with our story – the one that really matters to us” 

Tessa sighed deeply – she knew he was right, that going public all at once would be the best way to do it in the long run, she just didn’t like the thought of not doing something that she couldn’t ever change or go back on. 

“You’re right” she said eventually “You’re right” 

“It doesn’t have to be rushed though, T. It’s still in our hands, in our time” Scott reassured her. 

“So, what are you thinking?” the cogs started to turn in her head “an Instagram post? A tweet?” 

“We could, I suppose” Scott mused “be nice for it to be more about ‘us’, though. Social Media is kind of your thing and I’m the dorky side kick” 

She giggled at that “you really should read a few fan comments now and then, you know, you’d be surprised” 

“No, I’m happy letting you be my filter for that, you can tell me all I need to know” Scott smiled. 

“Well, at the moment your ass is out of the spot light because it’s been eclipsed by exploding ovaries” she giggled at him. 

“Point proven” he said as he pulled a face that told her didn’t even fully understand half of what said online. 

“Well, if we want to do something ‘us’” Tessa said, getting the conversation back on track “it’s the ice, of course” 

“We could make an announcement at the end of the London show – everyone's coming that night, eh?” Scott suggested, although the tone in his voice immediately told her that he’d rather skate around a packed arena butt naked than hear the crackle of the microphone echoing in the silent stadium as they stood there feeling exposed. 

“Oh, no” Tessa grimaced “that would be awful, I mean, what would we even say?” 

“Oh, I can’t bear to even think about it” he grimaced back “that was an awful idea” 

They looked at each other then as the same idea flashed in both of their eyes. 

“But, which music?” Tessa asked, her eyes searching his “something old? We’ve already got Carmen and Good Kisser in the show, so that’s not going to be anything different” 

Scott’s eyes lit up. 

“I’ve got the perfect song” he grinned, happiness spreading across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...


	15. Enthusiasm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick one for you here!

Tessa placed her bottle of water down and performed a final stretch as she headed to the other side of the room and towards Scott. 

“I can’t believe you managed to get time in this place at such short notice” she remarked as she stepped beside him as he completed his own warm-up, stretching out the sinews in his back and arms. 

“I know, I was sure we were going to end up having to rent out a hotel suite and move the furniture out of the way” he smiled. 

“It’s seems like ages since we were last in the studio with Sam” Tessa commented. 

“And it’s kind of weird being here without him, eh?” Scott responded. 

“It’s weird being here alone” Tessa agreed “but we’ve got this, we’ve got this.” 

“We have” Scott smiled at her as he turned to face her. 

“So, am I finally going to get to hear this great music you’ve thought up?” she smiled as she looked at the sound system in the room. 

“Yep” Scott said with a smile “I hope you like it, Tess, it really a piece that tells our story, it’s so right, it’s...deep and...there’s just something beneath the music, you know?” Scott was gesticulating with his hands as if the piece of music was sitting there before him, malleable under his fingers tips “just...just listen” he said as he took his phone over to the sound system and plugged it in “I know you’re going to love it, Tess” 

Tess smiled in anticipation, she hadn’t seen Scott this excited about a music choice since they settled on Roxanne – she was intrigued to hear what had got him so passionately worked up. 

The first few notes rang around the studio and Scott closed his eyes, swaying as the sound of a gentle piano was joined by strings. 

Tessa continued to listen as Scott disappeared deeper into the music. She waited for lyrics of this new song to kick in, and she waited, and waited, and then the piece ended. 

“Do you love it?” Scott beamed as he opened his eyes and looked at her “isn’t it just perfect, Tess” he smiled as he walked towards her. 

“It’s great” Tessa lied, not wanting to dampen his spirits “it’s different” she added. 

“I know” Scott responded, it’s like a symbol of our ‘newness’, don’t you think?” 

“Our newness, sure” she nodded as she smiled at him “I expected lyrics, I have to be honest, but...” 

“It doesn’t need lyrics, Tess, that’s the point, we’re telling the story” Scott’s enthusiasm knew no bounds, it would seem. 

“Well, let’s get to work then” Tessa smiled as she drank in his enthusiasm – if the piece of music meant that much to Scott, she would learn to love it too. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon putting together the choreography. Scott was full of ideas, wanting to portray their relationship as being a careful balance of them both, but also making sure that he had the opportunity to show his love for her in every step they took. As the light faded they had the bones of a great number put together, with plenty of their favourite lifts and holds from over the years of their career included. They also choreographed moments of closeness in which they knew they could find each other and ground each other if the moment overwhelmed them. It was sensual, but loving and their were subtleties to it they knew their families would recognise and appreciate. 

“That felt good” Tessa said as they sat in the back of the taxi they’d ordered to drive them back to the bus “it will be good to get it onto the ice and see how it works” 

“Yeah, it felt really good” Scott agreed as he took her hand in his “I booked us some extra ice time for tomorrow, if that’s ok?” 

“Of course, sounds perfect” she smiled back at them. 

*** 

As soon as they arrived back at the bus, Tessa headed towards the shower, eager to freshen up and soothe her aching muscles. 

Scott took the opportunity to find Kaitlyn in the kitchen. 

“Did she go for it?” Kaitlyn whispered as Scott sipped from a bottle of cold water. 

“Yeah” Scott smiled, “I mean I could tell she was thinking ‘what the hell is this?’, but the enthusiasm layered with enthusiasm and topped with some enthusiasm did the trick” 

“Perfect” Kaitlyn giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just love a scheming Kaitlyn and Scott!


	16. Question Part 1.5

Tessa lay quietly in bed, listening to the sound of Andrew’s voice in the corridor. She heard him say goodnight to Kaitlyn as they parted and Andrew headed back towards the lounge to continue playing cards with the rest of the gang. Being sure that everyone was safely entertained by the game, she slipped out of bed and crept towards Kaitlyn and Andrew’s room. 

She knocked lightly on the door. 

“It’s Tess” she whispered as she heard Kaitlyn move around inside. The door soon opened and Tessa slid inside. Kaitlyn had been going through her case looking for her pajamas. 

“This is becoming like old times” Kaitlyn smiled as Tess sat on the bed opposite hers “the boys drinking and playing cards, and us girls gossiping in the bedroom” 

“It is” Tess smiled “although what I want to talk to you about it is a bit more ‘now times’ than ‘old times’” she smiled. 

Kaitlyn wondered whether Tessa would come and seek her advice about Scott’s choice of music for their new program, and how she was in a dilemma about the music. She and Scott had run through the response they had prepared. 

“Oh, what’s on your mind?” Kaitlyn kept her voice light. 

“Scott and I are doing a new program at the end of the show in London,” she began. 

“Oh, sounds interesting” Kaitlyn responded “you’ve got the last solo number anyway, are you changing something?” 

“We decided we wanted to go public with our relationship, and well, skating is our thing, so...” 

“Sounds like a good idea, a good way to do it” Kaitlyn commented. 

“Except...” 

Kaitlyn braced herself for comment. 

"Except Scott’s picked the music and he’s really passionate about it...” 

“Uh huh” 

“...and, well, you know I am the one who has been bold and brave and out there in this...” 

“Uh huh” 

“...and well, the music means so much to him, like this is a moment for him...” 

“Uh huh” 

“...and it is a moment for me too..., and I want him to know I’m all in and for now and forever, and I know everyone thinks he’s the emotional one and I’m the cold hearted...but that’s not what it’s like and I don’t want him to think it’s because he picked the music and I feel...” 

“...look Tess, the music, if you feel...” 

“... so, I’m going to propose” 

Kaitlyn stopped dead “to Scott?” 

“Yes to Scott!” Tessa, strangely, was the one confused in this conversation. 

“At the end of your new number?” 

“You think it’s a bad idea, don’t you? The wrong time? I shouldn’t...?” 

“Tess, sshh” Kaitlyn smiled “I think it’s a great idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go get, him, Tess!


	17. Poor Poje

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little snippet for you.

“Where are you sneaking off to?” Andrew’s voice made Kaitlyn jump as he entered the bedroom. She looked through the door he’d left open in order to check that no one else was within hearing distance.

“Just out with Tess” Kaitlyn said simply.

“Where to?” Andrew asked as he put his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug “anywhere Scott and I can join? I like the idea of a couples date”

Kaitlyn put her arms around him, returning his hug “You guys wouldn’t want to do this”

“Try us” Andrew smiled, just wanting to spent time with the woman he loved and the friends he adored.

“No I’m sure you wouldn’t, honestly”

“Come on, what is it? Clothes shopping? We’re more than used to that” Andrew was persistent.

“No” Kaitlyn struggled “it’s…it’s girl stuff”

“Girl stuff?” Andrew laughed “we’re not 15, Kait, and I’m sure there’s nothing Scott and I haven’t seen after all these years.”

Kaitlyn let out a sigh before heading for the door and shutting it. “We are going shopping” Kaitlyn knew she couldn’t keep it from him “for an engagement ring”

“Whoa? What?” Andrew’s eyes grew to the size of saucers.

“Tessa’s going to propose in London, after their final solo number”

“What? After their ‘Stay’ performance?”

“They’ve changed the song, well, Scott’s changed the song, except Tessa doesn’t know”

“She doesn’t know he’s changed the song?” Andrew was getting very confused.

“No. She agreed to change the song, she knows, but she thinks he’s picked some weird random instrumental piece”

“But he hasn’t?” Things weren’t getting too much clearer.

“No, he’s chosen a different song, but it’s a surprise and we found this piece of music that has a similar timing so that they could choreograph a program to it.”

“Hang on” Andrew shook his head in order to order his thoughts “so, Scott’s picked a piece of music that Tessa doesn’t know about, but she thinks he’s picked some instrumental track”

“Yep”

“And they’re going to perform it in London, to announce that they’re together”

“Yep”

“And Tessa is going to propose to Scott at the end of the program”

“Yep”

“And you’re in on the whole thing, but each of them thinks they’re the only one with the surprise planned”

“Exactly”

“So they’re keeping things as complicated as ever, then”

“And you thought they’d do it any other way?”

“Nope, not for a second”

“Me neither”

“And I’m assuming I’m not allowed to know what the song is either?”

“Correct” Kaitlyn smiled “still want to come out with us?”

“Nope, have a great time” Andrew smiled as he dropped a parting kiss onto Kaitlyn’s forehead and exited the room. He passed Tessa on the way out and simply gave her a smile – he had no intention of asking the question about where the girls were going again – the first time had been more than enough!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ring shoppping, coming up!


	18. Touching Hands

Tessa took a sip of the cold champagne from the flute she was holding in her hand. The cool liquid slipped down her throat and she felt it pool in her stomach before sending a shiver through her veins. She turned to Kaitlyn 

“Ok, well, I suppose this is one of those things that we don’t get to do like everyone else does, but I have to admit I kind of like it” Tessa smiled. 

Kaitlyn looked around the hotel suite that they were sat in. It was sleek and modern, yet had a gentle and homely warmth to it. On the table in front of them was half a bottle of champagne and a bowl of strawberries. 

“Here was me thinking that Scott was going to be the one benefitting from today” Kaitlyn smiled as she took a sip of champagne from her glass. 

A knock sounded out across the room. Tessa turned to the door, running her hands down the front of her jeans as she got up. 

“Miss Virtue?” on the other side of the door stood a man with graying hair, wearing formal suit and holding a large briefcase. 

“Yes, come on in” Tessa smiled as she opened the door to allow the man to slip inside and join them. 

The jeweler entered the room and smiled at the two women. 

“Good afternoon” he greeted Kaitlyn “I hope I have something of interest for you here, Miss Virtue” he smiled as he placed the case he was carrying on the table. 

“Tessa, please” Tessa smiled at him. 

“Sorry, how rude of me” the man blushed slightly “I didn’t introduce myself. I am Michael Tremblay” he held his hand out to Tessa, and to Kaitlyn, who was now standing. 

The three stood around the case on the table as Michael started to open it “I thought carefully about the style and colours that you mentioned over the phone” he said as he started to place small boxes onto the table “and I also brought along some of our more recent designs – I sometimes find that something unusual or unique takes people pleasantly by surprise. 

Tessa smiled as Michael started to open the boxes in front of her. 

“This one” Michael explained as he held the first ring box up “meets the simplicity you mentioned, but is also elegant. As you can see it has a flat profile, giving it the appearance of a small band, rather than the more traditional ring shape. It also has a coloured insert running through it. 

Tessa moved her head closer to the ring in the box. 

“Feel free to take it out” Michael smiled as he pulled the ring from the box and handed it to Tessa “when selecting a ring it is important to get a feel for it.” 

Tessa took the ring from him and held it between her thumb and forefinger, she turned it around in the light and watched the way the hotel’s light melted into its matt finish. The ring was silver with a blue band running through it. It was simple, elegant. She thought of Scott wearing it, it sitting there on his finger...she couldn’t imagine it, she couldn’t see the colour against his skin. 

“This one” Michael continued as he held up another ring “is more elegant, the small stones that line the edge give it character. The subtlety of the diamonds works well against the chunkier appearance of the metal.” 

Kaitlyn took the ring this time, placing it on the palm of her hand “I can’t imagine Scott wearing a diamond?” 

“I don’t think I can” Tessa agreed “although he’s worn a few glittery costumes in his time” she said with a smile. 

“Remember when he tried to put on those sparkly pants you wore for ‘Good Kisser’?” Kaitlyn giggled. 

“I’ve got a photo of that somewhere” Tessa laughed. 

Kaitlyn made a mental note – that picture had to make it into the wedding book somehow! 

“I think you’re right, though, Scott’s not really a diamond man” Tessa agreed. 

“Perhaps this will be a little more suitable” Michael offered as he handed over a pale grey box holding a third ring. 

Inside was a silver ring with a blank space on one side. Michael saw Tessa looking at the ring with some confusion. 

“This ring is a simple silver band, and in the space you see there we would set your fingerprint” 

Tessa looked at the ring more closely. It was silver and elegant, but had a chunky robustness to it that gave it a masculine finish. She imagined her fingerprint set into the metal and resting against Scott’s skin. There was something sensual and romantic about the thought of the ring she was giving to him as a sign of her desire to become a part of him having a part of her on it. She liked how it symbolised their closeness and how their hands had always fitted together so well. There was also something about them being in contact, being close, even when they couldn’t touch each other, when they had to hold back. She wondered whether it was something Scott would like, something he would see the significance of. 

“Seems perfect” Kaitlyn said quietly, as if she were reading Tessa’s thoughts “it makes so much sense” 

Tessa turned and smiled at her, remembering the depths to which she understood the touch that was so often missed in public situations. 

“I like this one” Tessa smiled at Michael “but we’re only here for a few more hours before we move on to the next show, and then we move again after that, how would I...” 

“I would be able to take your fingerprint today” Michael said before she could finish. 

“Oh” Tessa said in surprise “that makes it all seem very real” she let out something between a laugh and a sigh. 

Kaitlyn put her hand on Tessa’s shoulder “You sure about this, T?” 

“More than anything” Tessa replied as she reached backwards to place her hand on top of Kaitlyn’s. 

Kaitlyn squeezed her hand in response. 

“I think this one will be perfect” Tessa smiled at Michael. 

“Excellent choice” Michael smiled as he got his notebook from his pocket “I’ll just take some details about sizing, take your fingerprint and then I can get the order in straight away” 

“Thank you” Tessa smiled. She felt a shiver of excitement run through her body. She couldn’t believe that she was in this moment, that she was buying an engagement ring for the man she had spent her whole life with – the man, she was sure, everyone was expecting to propose to her!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter left - trip to London anyone?


	19. Questions Part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story and commented, and kept me going. It has been an absolute pleasure. Can't wait to see the show!

The atmosphere in the venue was electric. London always guaranteed them a wonderful and personal crowd. In the half darkness of the stands phone lights shone and melted into the now matt ice. Flags were draped over shoulders and there was a multitude of signs on display. Scott peered around the curtain as Andrew and Kaitlyn performed their solo number to ‘Tainted Love’ - they’d choreographed it themselves, and Scott loved it - there was an upbeat vibe but with a sensuous undertone. He drank in the energy that was pulsing around the arena. He loved being out on the ice and drinking in the atmosphere, but it always felt so special to be able to stand on the outside of it and see everyone pulsing to the music, smiling on the ice and having fun. He looked towards the corner they’d booked for their families. Jordan and his mum were singing along to the track, fully apart of performance. Kate was surrounded by both his and Tessa’s nieces as they danced along, twirling their arms in the air and flicking their ever-growing hair. He could see other family members and friends chatting and singing and dancing and thoroughly enjoying the show they had spent so much time and energy on. This was the bit he loved - seeing other people enjoy the thing that had been their anchor for a lifetime, he loved to share with the people he loved, and seeing them all happy made his heart beat warm and strong in his chest. He could hear Kaitlyn and Andrew’s number reach its mid-point - his cue to start getting into position for the next number. He withdrew from his spot, moving to get ready for their group number, the final performance before the last performance of the night - his and Tessa’s solo skate. He felt a wave of nerves tingle through his chest - she was going to love the song, he knew that, he also knew she may feel exposed no matter what they danced to - she was private, always had been, and this was a big step for her. This wasn’t just telling their family around the dinner table, or posting to IG or telling a group of friends, this was all of it, everyone, all at once. They would be there on the ice, nowhere to run or hide. He knew they wouldn’t be able to hide in the song, and he didn’t want to, he wanted to sing the lyrics to her and for her and everyone in the room to know that he meant every word. He wanted them all to know that he loves her so completely and that he doesn’t care who knows, that he wants everyone to know, that he wants them all to know how amazing she is and how amazing their love is for him. He knows they’re going to create a storm in some quarters, they will be accused of lying and leading people on, but he doesn’t care because he long ago learnt that his sense of identity and his happiness wasn’t woven into other people’s view or opinion of him. He has learnt to be quietly comfortable with who he is and with who they are – he has for Tessa to thank for helping him to that. He hoped that she would allow him to kiss her during the skate, to leave people in no doubt, and to make sure that she knows he’d risk anything and everything for her, but he knew he would have to read the situation at the time - ask her with his eyes whether she felt comfortable; he would never do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. He only ever wanted to make her feel safe and secure and loved. 

“Ready?” her voice cut through his thoughts as her hand landed on his shoulder. 

He whipped around, meeting her piercing green eyes smiling back at him. His eyes travelled across the skin-tight denim hot pants she was wearing. 

“Eyes up, Moir” she joked with him as she saw him taking in the skimpy shorts “we’ve worn these shorts every night for weeks, how can you still find them so alluring” 

“It’s more about what’s in the shorts” he grinned back. 

“Also not changed in weeks” she smiled back at him. 

“Well, best I keep checking just in case” he grinned. 

“Sounds like a sensible plan” she grinned back. They stood there for a moment enjoying one of the moments they loved the most - a minute of privacy in a crowded room, in a thousand seat arena. It didn’t matter what was happening around them, how much noise was reverberating through the air, they could always disappear into a moment that only existed for them. The air between them was charged, the sexual tension crackling, but it gave way to tender, soft motes that showered them like confetti. Tessa’s eyes landed on his lips, watching the soft pink flesh that knew the folds of her body and her heart so well. Her eyelids curled closed as she breathed in slowly, imagining his soft, slightly wet lips meeting with hers, the warmth of his breath filling her mouth. She imagined the soft press bringing her pulse to the surface of her own lips. She imagined pushing back, returning his tenderness. The imaginary kiss lingered on her lips as she opened her eyes. 

“You’re a good kisser, T” he smiled at her as she came back to the present and realised that he’d been there watching her, enjoying his own moment. 

She blushed slightly, feeling a little caught out. 

“You have no idea” she whispered, more because she was still trying to pull herself back from the kiss that had played on the inside of her eyelids than because she was trying to entice him and fill him with silent promises he knew she would keep once they were back at her house later that night. 

“Middle of a show guys” Chiddy called in a shouting whisper - he couldn’t believe how open his friends were being given that they were trying to keep their relationship a secret. He also marveled at how they could just disappear into each other without speech or touch. 

“Yeah, show, sorry” Chiddy’s words broke Scott’s transfixion. He grabbed Tessa’s hand in his and they headed towards the rest of group who were waiting for Kaitlyn and Andrew to reappear and the music for the group number to kick in. 

The first few bars of ‘Nowadays’ rang around the arena and signaled Kaetlyn and Tessa’s entrance. Scott started to tap his foot as he watched Tessa and Kaetlyn melting the ice with their sultry dancing. He watched them and felt so proud to know both of them. They were both strong women who were comfortable in their bodies and he knew that, that hadn’t been an easy point to get to. Sure, they were all under scrutiny all of the time, but he knew that the female skaters had the added pressure of having their growing bodies being commented on. He remembers being so driven to protect Tessa from the other, older athletes when they were younger. 

The tour of Broadway continued as the music changed quickly and Andrew and Scott took their cue to relieve the girls and take up their positions for ‘If I Were a Rich Man’. They had, had so much fun preparing the routine during the rehearsals and they often left the arena each night humming along the tune. As they skated backstage Andrew quickly changed his costume for the final part of the number. Kaetlyn and Tessa skated by, a blur of pink. Kaitlyn’s yellow dress flashed under the lights as she took up her spot on the picnic bench that had been positioned in the middle of the ice. Andrew and the boys were on the other side of the ice, leather jackets on and hair slicked. The audience screamed as ‘Summer Nights’ rang out. 

As the Pink Ladies surrounded Kaitlyn, Tessa skated close to her, and speaking through her smile asked, “all set?” 

“Perfectly” Kaitlyn smiled back. They had stowed the ring in the dressing room and Kaitlyn was to get everyone on the ice at the end of Scott and Tessa’s number and slip it to Tessa during the chaos. 

The number came to an end and Tessa could feel her heart jump to her throat. She had long stopped being nervous about show skating, but the next number was going to be the most important of her life – even more important than the Olympics. This was everything, this was forever, this was her and Scott and ripping the Band Aid off, tearing it up and throwing it in the air! 

The lights faded, the audience clapped and the gang left the ice. There was an excited hush around the arena – there had been enough videos of the previous shows on the Internet for the audience to be excited in anticipation of seeing the final number – Tessa and Scott skating to ‘Stay’ - or so they thought. 

As he stood in the near darkness waiting for the lighting cue to begin, Scott saw Kaitlyn give him the thumbs up from the gallery and the sound system. He felt Tessa’s hand squeeze his and he lent down to whisper in her ear as the first few bars of ‘Perfect’ rang around the stadium. 

“Love you” his words floated into her ear as they took the ice. 

Tessa’s confusion was momentary – of course he hadn’t really wanted to dance to that awful instrumental track he’d declared his undying love for. 

_I found a love._

Tessa was aware of the screams that were ringing around the arena and cracking the air, but she was also completely deaf to everything but the words that Scott was mouthing at her. 

_Well I found a girl beautiful and sweet_

The choreography worked perfectly as Scott pulled her towards his body, twirling her inwards and ghosting his lips across her neck. 

_‘Cause we were just kids when we fell in love_

The arena erupted, seeing their love, their story, played out in front of them. Tessa felt tears start to well in her eyes – she had loved Scott all this time, every year, in every way. Their love had grown from shy kids to foolish teens and now into the beauty that it was between them now. They had a lifetime behind them, and another in front of them and she felt so lucky to have found him. 

_I will not give you up this time_

He looked into her eyes – they both knew the lyrics that were coming next – he silently asked her permission, checked that she was ok with what she knew he was about to do. Her eyes smiled back at him, not only giving him permission, but beckoning him. 

_But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own_

His lips met hers softly as they cut across the ice, the planned choreography loosening and their grip on each other tightening. His lips were soft and passionate, but also firm and steady, telling her that he had her, that she was safe; she was always safe with him. His fingers lingered as they traced a line from her cheeks to her shoulder blades. The ice beneath them shone as they glided through their lives, at home in each other’s arms. Tessa blushed as Scott sang to her about how perfect she was. He always spoke to her on the ice, and she knew he meant every word of encouragement and praise, but tonight his words were ones of love and they settled on her heart, taking her above the moment and back into the moment they had first felt the naked skin of each other’s bodies as they lay beneath the stars on the beach at her cottage; back where it had all began for them, when they had both realised, really realised, deep within the fibres of their beings, that there was nowhere else either of them would ever call home other than in the arms of each other. They had made love slowly and passionately during a stolen weekend before the tour had started. 

_I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets_

Tessa saw tears form in Scott’s eyes and she knew that he was thinking of the next line, the one that would have the audience on their feet, swaying with them as the future etched itself into the air above them. Tessa knew that if she were to look up at her mum, at Alma, she wouldn’t see shock, she would see tears snaking their way down dampened cheeks. 

_To carry love, to carry children of our own_

Tessa looked into his eyes and met his gaze looking right back at her. In that moment their whole world started to make perfect sense. Their son, smile wide, eyes shining, pushed across the ice on hockey skates and as Scott held their daughter in his arms and circled the ice with her. 

_Fighting against all odds_

Their foreheads came together as Scott spun them around on the ice. Their wounds had once gaped, bloody and raw, but now their scars reminded them of how far they had come, what they had worked through, what they had beaten to be together, to be there for each other and to be their best for each other. 

Their choreography, their timing, footwork was perfect, it flowed, even though their eyes were clouded with tears. There was something automatic and natural that took them through the rest of the song. Even if they'd never danced a step together before, they would have danced perfectly in those four minutes because there was nothing in the world that could be more natural to them than to be in each other’s arms. As the song ended and the audience roared Kaitlyn led the rest of the teary-eyed gang on to the ice to join them. Chiddy, wiping away his own tears, lightened the moment by raising his arms and eyes the heavens in a gesture that said ‘finally!’. The audience laughed, breaking up the sound of sobbing that was currently filling the arena. The group gathered round a now stationary and Scott and Tessa, bringing them in for a group hug. As they gathered and hugged each other, all congratulating their friends, Kaitlyn found Tessa’s outstretched hand and slipped the ring box into it. 

“Go get him” she whispered in Tessa’s ear by way of encouragement. The gang pulled apart and joined in the clapping with the audience, each wiping away their own tears as they looked at their friends standing centre ice, finally able to show their love for each other. Scott was staring into Tessa’s eyes as if she were the only person in the room, as if taking his eyes off her, even for a second, would make her disappear. Tessa reached down and laced her fingers with his as the thousands of people around them applauded. She kept one hand tightly closed behind her back. Without breaking contact with his eyes she slowly lowered herself onto one knee. To begin with only Kaitlyn noticed, of course, she was looking for it. Everyone else was still caught up in the overwhelming emotion they had just taken in. Slowly but surely a ripple of excitement snaked around the arena as everyone saw what was going on. 

Scott felt his heart begin to pound against his ribs. He felt his head grow light and he wondered whether what he was seeing before him was real. Tessa was on one knee, her eyes staring into his, a ring box in her outstretched hand. The world around him dissolved, the fans, their friends, the noise, it all melted away, leaving only him and Tessa and the stars above them. He felt her fingers rubbing circles against his knuckles. He looked at her and saw every infinitesimal moment fuse into a single burst of light. He knew that if he never breathed another breath, never lived another moment, then there would never be anything more he wanted. To be here, with her, her heart open, her hand offering him their future, everything he’d ever wished for, was more than he could ever have imagined getting from his life. He didn’t care about the medals, the wins, the money, not any of it; this, Tess, was all he ever wanted. 

Perhaps she said something, he couldn’t be sure. Perhaps words left her lip and met his ears, perhaps he would remember them later, would recite them perfectly as he lay in bed with their child and told him the story of how his mommy and daddy came to be, but there on the ice, all he needed was her eyes, they spoke to him in that moment more than ever, and he knew her question and she knew his answer. 

He felt the smooth metal band slide down his heated fingers. This was it; forever. 

The world exploded around him, the sound shattering his ears, bringing him back to the roaring and cheering that was rocking the arena. He saw his mom and Kate at the edge of the ice, arms around each other, he felt his friends around him, hugging him, lifting him up, and he felt Tessa, there and warm and his.


End file.
